Shinji Saotome
by mastermage
Summary: Gendo's gut is telling him something during an angel battle and he listens. A misplaced Shinji is the result. After lots of prodding from all kinds of people chapter 14 is finally up.
1. SS Prologue : Fate's Hand

Prologue  
  
Tokyo 3 - Human Fortress  
  
Tokyo 3 would have appeared an ordinary city to the normal spectator on most days, complete with high rise buildings, busy highways and masses of people populating the streets. Today was not one of those days. The only occupants of the deserted streets were two humanoid monsters of steel, the size of mid-sized sky-scrapers and a huge black and white striped sphere that was hovering over a hundred feet in the air with a circle of pure black underneath .  
  
Tokyo 3 was once again under siege by the unknown beings called 'angels'. And once again its unlikely defenders had been called to the city's defence.  
  
For most citizens this had become something of a routine and they thought nothing of it while they waited in their shelters to once again go about their lives after the threat was over.  
  
For the staff of the organization that was directing the efforts of defending the city, no battle was routine though. Equipped only with three 14 year old pilots, their every move had to be planned to guarantee victory. The fact that one of the monstrosities that were called EVA had been swallowed by the black circle along with its pilot didn't make things any easier  
  
And yet, behind the scenes, there was another group of people. A group who knew a lot of what was going to happen and who had their own plans concerning the human race and the entities called angels: SEELE and Ikari Gendo. For them, defeating the angels was a necessary sacrifice they had to make before their final scenarios could be implemented.  
  
It was exactly this group of people fate decided to screw over big time by making one little change at a critical moment...  
  
***************************  
  
NERV Headquarters - 10 minutes until scheduled launch  
  
"What do you mean launch the attack now?! Shinji still has got over ten minutes!"  
  
"I suggest you contain yourself Major Katsuragi! I am well aware that the pilot's life support hasn't run out yet."  
  
Getting a grip on herself with obvious effort, Misato ground out between her teeth. "If I may ask, why are we launching prematurely?"  
  
Once again folding his hands in front of his face for maximum mystery factor Gendo 'bastard' Ikari gave the major a cold look. "You should not question my decisions. I have my reasons and that should be enough for you. Now begin the operation!"  
  
Misato gave a court not before almost tearing the phone from Dr. Akagi's hands, who had been watching the argument in silence. "The schedule has been changed. Begin operation now!" Before the poor sap on the other end could reply, Misato had already cut the connection and started staring at Gendo. 'Bastard, asshole, motherfucker....'  
  
It was very fortunate for her Gendo didn't know what she was thinking, although he could probably guess. Instead the commander of NERV watched in fascination as the main screen on the command bridge displayed the group of bombers that would drop all remaining N2 mines at their disposal into the circle of pure black that had swallowed Unit 01. Behind his stone faced mask his mind was awhirl with thoughts while watching. Katsuragi had been right in that there was no reason to start the operation sooner than planned.save for this very strong gut instinct Gendo had gotten all of a sudden that it would be a good idea to move up the schedule. Normally Gendo wasn't a person of instincts, but on those few occasions his gut told him something, he listened. Up to that point of time it had always served him well.  
  
********************  
  
Somewhere else, fate was laughing its ass off. "This is going to be so much fun to watch!"  
  
********************  
  
Several other persons on the bridge couldn't share Gendo's optimism, especially Ritsuko Akagi. As head scientist she did the numbers and knew without a shadow of doubt that detonating nearly one thousand N2 inside the angel would pretty much reduce Shinji's chance for survival to nil, which had been why they had waited this long in the first place. So the good doctor had very good reason to wonder about Gendo's motives, knowing how important Shinji and EVA 01 were to his plans, she couldn't understand why he would run the pretty high risk of losing both sooner than he had too.  
  
The same was true for Gendo's second in command. The old man may not have known the numbers like Ritsuko but he knew of Gendo's plans just as well as her and could understand that an explosion of the planned magnitude would either vaporize or severely damage Unit 01.  
  
The other members of the bridge crew didn't know of Gendo's plans, they just found his attitude sickening.  
  
And Misato, well...  
  
'I'm gonna rip his fucking heart out and shove it up his ass and then.. '  
  
I think you get my drift.  
  
*******************  
  
Finally the aircraft were in position and their cargo was dropped. Rei and Asuka watched from a safe distance as a thousand little specks descended and were swallowed up one after another by the black mass that made up the angel's shadow.  
  
Nothing happened several moments after the last mine had vanished, when suddenly the black circle shrank in on itself in the blink of an eye, only to vanish completely like it had never existed  
  
In the main control room Maya confirmed what everybody had seen. "Blue pattern has vanished. The angel is gone."  
  
Hearing the crisis was over, Misato was quick to contact the pilots. "Asuka, Rei? Any sign of Unit 01 or Shinji?"  
  
"No sign of Unit 01 or pilot Ikari Major."  
  
"I can't see _anything_ . Either those bombs really vaporized everything in there or it isn't here.  
  
By now Misato was looking a little frazzled. "Come on. There has to be some sign of him!"  
  
Asuka snorted. "Will you stop whining already? That's only what he deserved for running off like he did. Stupid baka; always playing the hero!" Strangely her voice sounded a little strained at the end.  
  
In the control room Misato gripped the console as hard as she could. '.I need a drink.' Decisions made, the major marched out of the control room without saying anything else, the first tears already falling.  
  
By then, even Gendo was getting a little concerned. On screen the only visible thing were the two EVA's. "Dr. Akagi, where is Unit 01?"  
  
Ritsuko looked at the screen with a calculating eye, masking her own surprise. "All the calculations indicated that at least _something_ of Unit 01 should have survived that blast, which should have been ejected after the angel was destroyed. Obviously that has not happened, so my best guess would be, either it was destroyed inside the angel.or the point of exit was somewhere else"  
  
Gendo raised and eyebrow "Which means?"  
  
Ritsuko shook her head. "I don't have a clue."  
  
Next to Gendo, Fuyutsuki Kouzou watched with just a little bit of satisfaction as the man's mask of indifference fell for just a moment to reveal sheer surprise underneath. 'Well, well my old friend.it seems your scenario has just taken a very different course than what you expected...or SEELE for that matter.'  
  
End Prologue  
  
********************  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Well, that was the prologue. Pretty open ended huh? Well, that was my intention.  
  
As usual I want to thank my pre-readers RanShin, NuStrike and kuracao for their input. Next time you guys will have a little more to read over! That's a promise. 


	2. SS1 Where The Hell Am I?

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½ or Neon Genesis Evangelion. No money is made of this as far as I know, so if you wanna sue somebody, don't sue me.  
  
  
  
Now, I'll try myself at something a little more humorous . …….be afraid…very afraid.  
  
Of my new series: Shinji Saotome  
  
*************************  
  
Chapter 1 – Where the hell am I?   
  
  
Shinji blinked his eyes several times. He wasn't too sure, but if his memory was any indication he shouldn't be lying around on a lush patch of green grass. In fact, he should be dead by now. The last thing he remembered was being imprisoned inside the 12th angel and that his oxygen-supply was running out.  
  
Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth Shinji stood up, noting he was still in his plug-suit. The sight that greeted him made the whole thing even more confusing: Before him stretched a valley full of little pools, from each sticking a bamboo-pole. He was right beside one of them. The sun was ascending to the sky, indicating it to be morning; it was late afternoon when he last closed his eyes  
'Where the hell am I?' he wondered  
  
**********  
2 miles away Ryouga Hibiki sneezed violently  
  
**********  
  
Then something else caught his eye. On top of these poles two figures were engaged in combat, looking for all intents and purposes like they wanted to kill each other. The fact that they were jumping humanly impossible highs didn't escape his notice, but was just another thing to add to his newly started 'weird-things-list'  
  
He stood there, transfixed by the sight before him; never had he seen such grace.  
'If I could do that…' he trailed of as the boy, he looked around 16, kicked the fat man into one of the pools.  
  
  
  
A second later Shinji added flying pandas to his list and his jaw hit the ground.  
'Did that guy just turn into a panda?'  
  
Another two seconds later Shinji had only a microsecond's time before the boy slammed into him bodily, both of them tumbling to the ground, stopping only a few feet before another spring.  
'I'm hurting all over' Shinji thought.   
  
"Hey, you alright there?" A voice asked and he realized the boy was already standing and offering his hand.   
  
"I think I'm alright, thank you."  
  
********  
  
Ranma was goggling as a panda jumped out of the spring his father had disappeared in, and seconds later he found himself flung away by the attacking Panda, not being prepared for an assault.  
  
Before he could right himself he slammed into something.  
Once he had stopped Ranma stood up instantly, seeing he had slammed into another person.  
'Geeze, hopefully he's alright!'  
"Hey, you alright there?"  
  
Ranma breathed a sigh of relief as his hand was accepted and the boy stood up.  
"I think I'm alright, thank you."  
  
However, he didn't have time to give him a second glance, because the next moment the panda kicked him.  
  
  
With a great splash two male bodies landed in a spring.  
  
Several agonizing seconds later two heads broke the surface. Ranma dragged the unconscious boy out of the spring with himself and looked on confused as some Chinese guy babbled something about curses and springs and then dumped hot water on the confused Panda, turning him back to Genma Saotome.  
  
At first he wanted to punch his father, but then the other guy came to him.  
"Very bad young sir. You fall in spring of drowned girl mister. Can reverse with hot water but only temporary till you hit with cold water!"  
  
Ranma grew a horrified expression, and with the greatest caution he opened his shirt.  
He looked down…..to find two globes of flesh that weren't there before and to his dismay he found the space between his legs empty.   
A wave of emotion crashed into him, sadness, despair, anger, hate.   
  
In the end anger won out and suddenly Genma Saotome found himself chased by a very angry redhead.  
  
The guide shrugged and turned to the other customer. That was strange; Three visitors on one day, highly unusual. The youngest of his customers was clad in some futuristic garb that showed his now well endowed and for the age beautiful FEMALE body.  
  
Shinji looked on as the redheaded girl chased the fat man before he examined himself.  
His plugsuit did nothing to hide the changes. He now had a chest bigger then Asuka's and the material felt loose around his groin, clueing him in, that he had gained his chest in exchange for something else. A long strand of dark blue hair drifted past his eyes, indicating that his hairstyle had changed as well.  
  
He would have curled up in a little ball and cried, but he couldn't. He felt numb. Something like this didn't happen. This was magic for god's sake! This wasn't real! There weren't pandas changing into man, or boys changing into redheads, and most of all: No Shinji's turning into stacked girls.  
  
Shinji simply grabbed the kettle form the guide's unresisting hands and dumped the rest of its content over himself. He felt a short tingling sensation, and heaved a sigh of relief as his body felt again like it always did: male.   
He decided to wallow in self-pity later; he had too much to worry about right now, to do that.  
  
The guide was surprised by the boys actions, normally the people freaked out when this happened. Oh well, he was probably a strange sort.  
"Mr. Customer alright, yes?"  
  
Shinji nodded, understanding the broken Japanese.  
"Yes, I think I am. Can you tell me where I am?"  
  
The guide blinked. That was new; most people knew this was Jusenkyo.  
"You in valley of cursed springs. Jusenkyo, young sir."  
  
Shinji looked at him dumbly, none of the names making any sense to him.  
"Could you be a little more specific? Like what country I am at to begin with."  
  
"You in China honoured sir!"  
  
Shinji groaned. 'This CAN'T be real! I was in my EVA dying, I'm not cursed to turn into a girl and most of all I'm not in CHINA!' he screamed in his head.  
Getting a grip on himself and for once not crying like a puppy Shinji addressed the guide again.  
"Can you at least show me to the next village where I can get some supplies?"  
  
"Of course, but I think it better you wait for other customers to go with you, no?"  
  
"I suppose so…"  
  
************  
  
Nearly 30 minutes later the redhead and the fat man turned up at the guide's hut, where Shinji was waiting.  
  
The guide quickly explained the curses to all of them again, turning Ranma back to male in the process.  
  
Ranma had clamed down a lot and quickly took notice of the boy sitting in the corner, quietly watching them.  
"Um, my name is Ranma Saotome, what's yours?"  
  
Shinji looked up and gave a meek smile.  
"I'm Shinji Ikari. Nice to meet you."  
  
Ranma looked down shortly; he hated what he had to do now: apologizing for what he had done.  
"I wanted to say sorry for what my stupid pop did, shoving you into the spring and cursing you an all. If we can do anything for you, just say so."  
  
Now normally Shinji wouldn't dare taking anybody up on that offer, but right now, he was stuck in a country he could barely speak the language without any food or money. It didn't take a genius to realize he would probably die if he tried to go back to Japan alone. He may have though himself a waste of human flesh, but he still didn't want to die.  
So it was with great relief that he began to speak:" Yes…I…There is something you could do…a few more things actually."  
  
Genma scowled slightly, he didn't like the sound of this.  
  
"You are Japanese right?"  
  
Ranma nodded  
  
"I would like to travel with you...if it isn't too much of an inconvenience for you."  
  
"Of course, that's the least we can do. What else do you need?"  
  
Shinji swallowed.  
"I…don't have any food or money…so could you give me a pair of clothes so I can get rid of this thing?" he pulled on his plugsuit for emphasis "You'll get it back once I have the money to buy my own."  
  
Genma frowned even more, this wasn't good at all  
"Forget it. Boy lets get moving. That meek puppy over there will just hinder you in your training, let's go!" He said while grabbing Ranma's shoulder.  
  
Ranma would have none of it, and sent his father out of the hut with a kick. He wouldn't let somebody like the boy before him walk around in the wilderness alone. He wasn't a good martial artist, for that he was far too scrawny, but he was nice and he didn't seem to harbour any resentment even though he was cursed because of them. Although Ranma could see he was trained to some degree; Maybe black-belt-level?  
His father's actions just angered Ranma, and so he decided to pay him back. A devious grin formed on his face as he turned back to Shinji, who seemed horrified at his father's actions.  
"Don't worry about the old fart. You can come with us. Say, are you alone here?"  
  
Shinji nodded. "Yes…my parents…are dead. I'm alone right now."  
  
Ranma winced, that wasn't what he planned. Then he got a new idea and grinned when he saw his father walking in.  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."  
  
"It's alright" Shinji said with a sigh "my parents have been dead a long time and I don't have relatives anymore."  
  
Ranma nodded. "I think I have an even better deal for you. How about we adopt you Shinji?"  
  
Shinji sat up straight. Being adopted would be the best thing that could happen to him.  
"You would do that?"  
  
Genma was just about to start protesting when Ranma rushed to his side and grabbed him- Then he spoke in a low voice so only Genma could hear him.  
"Listen old man! You will adopt him, otherwise I won't go with you anymore, and you can stick your plans up your ass!" he spoke with an uncharacteristic growl in his voice, and Genma decided to abide to his wishes. His son was quite deadly when enraged.  
He gave a small nod.  
"Ok" he spoke in a small voice, then louder:"Shinij Ikari, I hereby make you a member of the Saotome clan!" 'I can always knock Ranma out and leave the boy behind' he thought to himself.  
  
Ranma whirled around and smiled brightly at Shinji.  
"How do you like that? This way you don't have to worry about anything."  
  
Shinji stared at Ranma, not quite believing what just happened. He knew there existed some spontaneous people in the world, but this was ridiculous!   
When he found Ranma next to him a moment later he grew extremely self-conscious, seeing how Ranma examined him.   
"What?"   
  
Ranma looked up and grinned wickedly.  
"I was just examining you. You're my brother now, we can't have you looking all scrawny, can we? How about I start teaching you martial-arts?"  
Of course, Ranma could see the lad before him had martial-arts training. From what he could see Ranma judged him to be slightly above black-belt level. On the other hand, this was Ranma, and his definition of scrawny was to be used very carefully. Internally Ranma was happy that his newly adopted brother wouldn't start as a total beginner.  
  
"You would do that?"   
Shinji on the other hand was, for once in his life, aware of his abilities concerning martial-arts. He also knew that Ranma was worlds away from him, meaning he could probably learn a lot from him. Not that Shinji planned on ever using the learned moves on a person. He hadn't done so with any of the training they gave him at NERV either. In fact, outside of NERV nobody was even aware of the training he received. Shinji only liked martial arts because it was poetry in motion. Ranma and his father had proven that before they got cursed.  
  
"Of course"  
  
"I'd like that very much!"  
  
Ranma's grin got even wider.  
"Good! We will start your training today…"  
  
Somehow Shinji had a foreboding sense of doom when Ranma gave him a change of clothes to put on.  
  
*************  
  
All Shinji wanted to do was sit down and rest. His legs hurt like hell and he felt ready to sleep the next three weeks. Right now he was walking next to Ranma, Ranma's father and the guide were walking a few feet before them. The reason he was so dead-tired was the backpack he carried.  
The thing had to weight a ton!!  
Ranma had given him a backpack with half the stuff he had carried before to "train his legs".  
  
Shinji was already beginning to regret his decision to learn martial arts from Ranma. The worst part though, was that Ranma carried the same weight without any problems. It was frustrating and disconcerting that a human being could carry that much weight like it was nothing.  
Right now they had been walking a good two hours and it wasn't looking like they would stop anytime soon.  
  
Ranma was watching with amusement as his new brother was struggling with the weight put on his shoulders. In truth, he was a little impressed. Shinji was currently carrying a good 100 pound for over two hours. By his estimation he should have fallen to the ground a good 10 minutes ago.  
'He has got the determination, that's for sure'  
  
Nonetheless Ranma felt bored out of his mind and decided to indulge in some conversation.  
"So Shinji, What's your story? I would really like to know how you ended up here in the middle of nowhere. And what's with that suit of yours anyway"  
  
Shinji was caught off guard by Ranma's question. How did you explain to somebody that you where piloting a giant robot the one moment and lying in a meadow in the middle of nowhere the next?  
"I..That is…um…."  
  
"Come on, spill it!"  
  
Shinji swallowed. Ranma was right. It was best to just say what was on his mind.  
"I..know.. this is going to sound crazy…but I don't have a clue. One moment I was ..um…somewhere…and the next I wake up to find myself here."  
  
Ranma looked at him intently. Even he could tell something was troubling Shinji.  
"There's something more, right?"  
  
Shinji sighed; there was no way Ranma was going to believe this.  
"Ranma, could you possibly tell me what year we have?"  
  
"Huh? 1996. Why?"  
  
"I…come from the year 2015. In the year 2000 a being called 'angel' was discovered in Antarctica. It destroyed the pole in a massive explosion, killing half the population on earth with the resulting flood and earthquakes. In 2014 a new wave of these being attacked earth. The plug-suit I was wearing…..it's needed to sync with the only hope for mankind: EVA. They're giant robots, the only thing with enough firepower to destroy angels. I was a pilot. Before I came here I ….was swallowed by the angel and awaiting ….my death:"  
There, finally he got it out.  
  
"Cool! So, you're some kind of superhero on your world, right? Damn, you're a lucky bastard."  
  
Next to Ranma a loud thump indicated that Shinji's facefault was very painful indeed.  
The boy groaned and got to his feet, looking crossly at Ranma.  
"You've got to be joking me! How can you believe what I just told you?"  
  
Ranma looked confused.  
"Why shouldn't I? I mean, we just got cursed to turn…" shudder "...into girls. You coming from another world isn't too far out there, you know?"  
  
Shinji shook his head. How could Ranma deal with something like that so easily? It seemed like nothing fazed him.  
  
"So, tell me, how does it feel to defend humanity?" Came Ranma's query from his side.  
  
Instantly Shinji turned from perplexed to depressed.  
"I wouldn't call what I did defending humanity. The only thing I always managed to do was hurt my friends and all the other people. EVA caused nothing but grief for me and my friends from the moment I arrived at Tokyo 3. I hate it; I just want to run from it and never come back!"  
  
Well, that didn't sound at all like Ranma imagined it to be.   
"Yet you didn't. Why?"  
  
Shinji was at a loss for words. Why didn't he leave and came back the first time he ran away? To be tortured some more? Because others wanted him to? No, that wasn't it  
"I…..don't know…I just wanted to feel needed."  
  
Ranma frowned.  
'I think my new brother has a lot of problems to work out.'  
"Is that really the only reason? Did you not also come back because you wanted to protect them? To protect humanity?"  
  
Shinji looked at him sadly.  
"Is that not the same thing? I wanted to save them, but I just wanted to do it so they could make me feel better! Is that not selfish?"  
  
Ranma stopped walking, forcing Shinji to do so as well.  
When Ranma spoke Shinji thought he detected a trace of anger in his upbeat brother's voice.  
"Will you stop wallowing in self-disgust and pity? You have saved humanity for god's sake! Give yourself some credit for doing that! And no, it's not selfish if you saved them only because you wanted to be in their company!"  
Now his tone softened somewhat.  
"It just shows that you care for their company, which in turn shows you care for humanity. It's perfectly normal for you to want them around Shinji. That's what makes us human."  
  
Ranma paused a moment, letting Shinji digest what he had just told him. However, Shinji's spirits lifted only a little bit, so he pressed on.  
"Take me, for example. I've been on the road for 10 years with my old man. There are times I want nothing more but to skin him alive, yet I'm still travelling with him. That's why I'm human Shinji, because I need human company, even if it's my dad."  
  
Shinji looked at him with doubt written across his face.  
"..Maybe…you're right…maybe it's natural….but…I feel like I could do more for them…I just don't know!"  
  
Ranma laughed heartily and patted Shinji on the back.  
"Don't worry about it Shinji. You're a good person, even if you don't realize that. I for sure do, even though I only met you a few hours ago. And it's perfectly normal if you don't know what you can do for them."  
Then his face turned serious.  
"Just remember: never ever stop trying to make others happy. As long as you do, even if it doesn't work out the way you wanted, you know you're human……because you tried."  
  
Shinji nodded slowly, understanding what Ranma trying to say on a logical level. It was the thought that counted, not if it actually worked out. Feeling a little bit better about himself Shinji gave his new brother a sincere smile.  
"Thanks Ranma. I'm glad to have you as my new brother."  
  
Ranma grinned.  
"Hey! No problem. What's a big bro there for?"  
  
"Say Ranma…why are you so interested in defending humanity anyway?"  
  
Ranma fixed his father's back with an intense gaze before speaking.  
"'It's a martial artists duty to protect the weak who can't help themselves'. That's one of my father's favourite quotes and the reason I'm training to be the best there is. I want others to have a chance at happiness and that's why I'm fighting to become strong. I'm the same as you Shinji. I'm happy when I can help others. You're happy as well when helping others." -The scene of Rei smiling at him after the fifth and him crying tears of joy flashed through Shinji's mind unbidden – "You just haven't realized it yet, I think."  
  
Shinji could only nod dumbly. Maybe Ranma was right. Maybe there was hope for him after all. He hadn't realized it until now, but when scanning his memories Shinji saw it: he had suffered a lot all these months and sometimes all he wanted to do was die……but at the same time he had never felt more alive than these past months. There even where some good moments, something his live had been missing till he came to Tokyo 3. The first time he ran away and came back to be greeted by Misato with open arms came to mind as one example. Yes…maybe he had been blind all this time, drowning the good moments in misery created by his own will.  
Shinji smiled bitterly.  
'Seems like Asuka was right. I am an idiot sometimes. I think she just never realized how big an idiot I was. Neither did I for that matter!'  
  
The next few minutes where spent in silence.   
Ranma glanced at Shinji from time to time, finding him lost in his thoughts.   
Contrary to his outward appearances Ranma wasn't oblivious to his surroundings and so he noticed his companions depressive mood earlier rather fast. Ranma knew he was a bit rough and not good with words, but he could hold a serious conversation when somebody needed a shoulder to lean on. That was why he had started conversation in the first place. Well, that and the fact that he had nothing better to do.  
He was surprised at his new brother's low self-esteem and decided to do something about that soon. Their first conversation was a good start, but Ranma could tell Shinji had a lot to work through.  
  
Shinji had his own reasons to stay quite. He needed time to ponder the things that where said and to consider his new brother. To say he was baffled at Ranma would have been an understatement. Shinji could honestly say that Ranma was one of the most trustworthy people he had ever met. To tell the truth, Shinji was surprised at himself as well. The things he had told Ranma, he had never told anybody before, not even Misato. He couldn't really say why, but there was a quality to Ranma, that made him easy to talk to.  
At first Shinji got the impression that Ranma was a jock, but that had changed immediately. He was a very good listener, which also implied him to be a good observer. His manner and outward appearance indicated otherwise, though.  
  
Shinji silently thanked whatever gods he knew for bringing him together with Ranma….  
  
His back complained about the weight he carried  
  
And Shinji immediately cursed said deities for making him go through Ranma's training.  
  
************************   
  
Another 2 hours later  
  
A short man with Chinese features, a big panda and two beautiful girls walked into the Amazon village.   
Yes, you guessed correctly, it had rained half an hour prior.  
  
Shinji turned to Ranma with a sullen expression.  
"You know, this new body takes some getting used to."  
  
Ranma nodded.  
"Yeah. At least we're real babes like this. "  
  
"And we're still humans and able to talk. I really would hate to end up as little pig or something"  
  
**************************+  
  
In a random town a small black piglet that was cowering in an alley suddenly caught a sneezing fit.  
After it calmed out it let of a loud: Bweeeeeee bwee bweee bwe bewewe BWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!   
  
Roughly translated it meant "Ranma Saotome, This is all your fault!!!!!!!"  
  
Guess who that little piglet is?  
  
****************************  
  
"I don't know Shinji, anything would have been better then being a girl!"  
  
Shinji raised an eyebrow at this statement, but decided to ask about it later. It seemed like he wasn't the only one with a twisted world-view.  
  
The two girls and the panda made their way into the village as the guide walked slightly behind. Shinji took him to the side for a moment to ask him, if he could bring them to the boss of the small village, figuring their chances to get anything the greatest this way.  
  
They reached some kind of communal area where a big log was seen. It was surrounded by a crowd of cheering females, who were watching a girl with lavender hair battling with a female(?) Version of Godzilla.  
  
Shinji watched the fight fascinated, the smaller girls was moving nearly as fluid as Ranma did when he fought  
"The small one is good!" he said while turning, only to find the space next to him empty.  
He looked a little bit further up to find a table covered with various food to the breaking point. He also saw a sign reading 'winner's prize' in Chinese and two figures, one panda and a redhead, moving towards it like starved men. The guide was already lost in the crowd, probably searching for somebody.  
  
His eyes widened. 'They wouldn't!'  
A moment later he remembered Ranma saying he hadn't eaten for two days. 'They would! They can't! Who knows what these Amazons do if they eat the first prize!!!!'  
  
Shinji didn't hesitate and ran after them, covering the distance in a matter of seconds.  
  
  
  
Genma-panda was just about to stuff the tasty looking chicken into his mouth, when a hand slapped his mouth shut.  
The same fate awaited Ranma-chan, who was just now helping herself to some mango.  
"Stop it you two!" a frantic voice shouted from behind their backs. "You can't eat this. It's the first prize of this tournament. Who knows what they will do to us."  
  
Ranma looked at Shinji crossly.  
"How do you know?"  
Shinji pointed over to the sign.  
"It's written there! Can't you read Chinese?"  
While the two girl-turned boys kept talking, Genma tried to stuff his face, only to be sent flying by a kick.  
  
As Ranma-chan lowered her outstretched leg and muttered something about greedy pandas Shinji-chan could do nothing but shake her head.  
"Sorry if I sound rude Ranma, but is your father always such an idiot?"  
  
Ranma gave a tired sigh.  
"Unfortunately, yes. You wouldn't believe some of the things that idiot did. The worst part is that I'm the one who has to pay for his mistakes most of the time. Good thing that you're here now. Together we might just be able to keep him in check"  
  
  
  
  
Meanwhile on the log Shampoo defeated her final foe and basked in the glory of her victory.  
Needles to say she wasn't at all happy to see two outsider women stand near HER prize.  
Narrowing her eyes she jumped off the log and stomped towards them.  
  
She was a mere 6 feet away and still neither of the two girls seemed to pay her presence any heed.  
She cleared her throat, causing both outsiders to turn around.  
What are you doing here? This is my prize, leave it alone!  
  
  
  
Ranma and Shinji were startled when somebody cleared their throat behind them. Turning around they came face to face with the girl who had been fighting on the log, and judging from the look on her face she wasn't very happy she wasn't very happy to see them.  
What are you doing here? This is my prize, leave it alone! She growled in Chinese.  
  
Ranma looked at her dumbfounded, not understanding one word.  
  
Shinji on the other side understood her quite well, surprising since he hadn't spoken mandarin in real, only for practice. Shinji had also been the target of a certain red-haired girls wrath quite often in the past and didn't plan to add this purple-haired beauty to his 'girls who like beating me up'-list. Therefore he was quick to implement his foolproof way of calming her down: apologizing.  
Sorry, our pet-panda wanted to eat your prize, so we had to boot him away from it. We did not want to intrude.   
  
Shampoo seemed not convinced, until said panda tried to sneak its way to the food. A quick swing from her Bon-Bori knocked him out cold.  
I believe you for now. You should really teach your Panda some manners. Why are you here then, outsiders? She said in a neutral tone of voice.  
  
Shinji, seeing that Ranma was not following the conversation in any way spoke on their behalf.   
We are here in search of supplies. The guide from the valley brought us here.  
  
valley?? What valley?  
  
It seems these three are coming from the cursed springs, great-grand-daughter. An old and raspy voice said with an edge of humor.  
  
Shinji looked around, wondering where the voice came from. When his eyes came to rest on a small hideous figure that was standing on a gnarled staff he nearly had a heart-attack.   
'What is that? A dried up frog with long white hair? Or maybe the top-half of a mummy?'  
  
Ranma was faring no better when he saw the newcomer, but instead of voicing his thoughts about the beings looks he kept quite for once, knowing that it was best to let Shinji handle this.   
  
When Shinji got his bearings back he addressed the old mummy/ghoul.  
May I inquire who you are?  
  
The ghoul cackled.  
My, my, aren't we polite? I'm Ku Lon, the matriarch of this little village. The guide has told me about your bad luck at Jusenkyo. I take it you would like some hot water right now?  
  
Shinji winced. Why was it that everybody he knew was one step ahead of him when he was talking with them?  
That would be most appreciated elder Ku Lon. May I inquire if you can spare some of your supplies as well?  
  
Ku Lon chuckled.  
Do not worry yourself for the time being child. We may be barbarians in your eyes, but we aren't heartless. Now please follow me. Xian Pu, you may take your prize now!  
  
With that the ghoul started bouncing away at astounding speeds.  
Shinji and Ranma picked up Genma and followed suit.  
  
  
  
Ranma, Shinji and Ku Lon sat around a small table, the former two once again male. Genma was still out cold, and after Ranma's bidding he was chained to a post, just to make sure he wouldn't cause havoc while they were talking.  
  
Ever since they had turned back Shinji and Ranma felt like Ku Lon was mustering them. The glint in her eyes didn't exactly help to calm them either.  
"So Sonny Boys, what brought you two to the cursed springs in the first place? It is a place where only fools have no fear to treat."  
  
"Tell that my idiot of a father. It's his fault we ended up in this spring in the first place!"  
Now that their conversation was held in Japanese, which Ku Lon seemed to speak quite well, Ranma started adding his two cents where he could.  
  
"These are very harsh words to say, don't you think?" Not that Ku Lon was really surprised while saying that. She had deducted early on, that she had two very interesting specimen before her. Ranma, that was the older ones name, seemed to be the jock of the two, but very well versed in combat. Shinji on the other hand had a lot more patience and a level head. He had some combat training as well, but it wasn't nearly as much as Ranma's. She was of course very interested how such a pair met up. There was something else about Shinji, but try as she might, Ku Lon couldn't put her finger on it. Oh well, it would come to her…eventually.   
  
"As much as I hate to agree with Ranma elder, but his father is an idiot. Ranma and his father crossed China to train at these springs. I just happened to stand in the way when Genma flung Ranma into a spring. Anyway, can we do anything to repay you for your kindness?"  
  
Ku Lon grinned like a shark.  
"Well, yes. You have told me that you're martial artists, right? My tribe is holding the art of fighting above all else, so you must understand it would be an honor if you would show us some of your skills. I want you!" She pointed at Ranma "…to have a little match with my great-grand-daughter!"  
  
Ranma's eyes lit up. He could fight! Even if it was against a girl.  
"Yes, I'll do it! Of course I'll go easy on her; she's just a girl after all."  
"Excellent, it is settled then. Let's go outside and search Xian Pu" With that the trio made its way out the door.  
  
**************  
  
Shinji was watching from the crowd as Ranma and Xian Pu fought on the log, marvelling once again at their abilities.   
…he loses, so I can try and marry him  
  
Now Shinji's mandarin wasn't the best, but he thought the girl next to him had mentioned the fight and marriage in one sentence. Normally he wouldn't have dared asking, but right now Shinji wasn't exactly entitled to act normal. Besides, from the looks the Amazons were giving Ranma Shinji could tell something was up.  
Um, excuse me miss, but what did you just say?  
  
The blue haired girl turned to him, only now noticing his presence.  
I said I hope your friend loses so I can fight him. That way I will be able to marry him when he beats me  
  
Shinji looked at her like she was crazy and tried to detect any trace of humor in her face: None.  
You're kidding me, right?  
  
Why should I be kidding? That's the law of our tribe: If an outsider male beats an Amazon in combat she has to take him as her mate. If outsider female beats Amazon in combat she is to be killed. Now stop talking and watch fight.  
  
As the girl turned to the fight Shinji goggled at the idea.  
"When you beat them they marry you? What crazy nut has come up with that?"  
Then he remembered who was currently fighting an Amazon, and his eyes grew wide.  
Briefly the idea of knocking Ranma off the log flashed in his mind, but was immediately discarded. Who knew, maybe they killed outsiders interfering in a fight on principal or something.  
The next best thing to do was search for Ku Lon.   
  
A quick survey revealed her perched on the other side of the log.   
Shinji grit his teeth.' The old crone knew all this! That was why she was grinning like that'.  
That thought stuck in his head Shinji made his way through the crowd. He would be damned if he let his new brother down the first day he knew him!   
  
He waded through the ground, his heart beating at a rapid pace. Underway he stumbled upon a stone the size of his fist, and on a whim he took it with him. It would be his last resort. Hurting somebody always was, after all.  
  
  
  
On the other side of the log Ku Lon used all her will to keep the grin that was threatening to take up her face at bay. On the log Ranma started to take the upper hand. Soon she would have Ranma as a new member in their tribe, and as her great-grand-daughters husband as well. It was almost too easy like this.  
  
Of course, Ku Lon took everything into consideration. It would have been foolish to tell them of the Amazon laws. Unfortunately, it slipped her mind that somebody else might tell Shinji.  
That was the reason the old crone was surprised when Shinji was standing before her the next moment. At his side his fist was clenching and unclenching spasmodically, making the boys anger quite clear.  
"Elder, why did you not tell us of this law of yours? If you plan to go through with it, I request that this fight is stopped now!"  
  
Ku Lon looked at him with silent laugher in her eyes.  
"I didn't tell you because you didn't ask. I can't stop the fight now, that would be quite…inconvenient. I also won't revoke the law. All you can do is watch. To tell you the truth, I'm impressed with your reasoning. Most youths try to go with their head through the wall. However, your brains won't stop your friend from winning.."  
  
Shinji smirked.  
"Quite sure of ourselves elder, aren't we?"  
Then he turned around. 'Forgive me Ranma' ..and hurled a stone into the raging fight.  
  
Ku Lon nearly fell from her staff, when the stone arced its way over to Ranma.  
  
  
Ranma was having the time of his live while fighting Xian Pu. However, he knew he would win with his next kick. Xian Pu swung at him with one Bon-bori, missing him. Her other weapon was still far away, and both fighters knew she had lost when Ranma's foot neared her midsection with full power……  
  
*CLONK*  
  
Ranma fell from the log, knocked out cold.  
Xian Pu blinked. Wasn't she supposed to be flying in the air?  
A stone hit the ground next to Ranma.  
  
Over 100 pairs of eyes blinked in sync and looked into the direction the stone came from.  
  
When Shinji saw the Amazons turn to him he swallowed….hard.   
'I'm so dead'   
  
It's quite understandable that he was surprised when they started cheering.  
"Elder? Why are they cheering? Shouldn't they be trying to gut me or something?"  
  
"Why should they? Now that you have ended his fight with my great-grand-daughter they have a chance at marrying him by fighting him as well.. I must say I'm surprised you did that. Surely it has crossed your mind that maybe we had special laws for interrupting fights?"  
  
"Yes. But I have a debt to repay, and keeping Ranma out of trouble is the best way of doing so. So, are you going to keep your word? Can we leave now?"  
  
Ku Lon heaved a sigh.  
"It pains me to say yes, but I hold my word. It was a pleasure meeting you two. Now get your friend and that useless father of his and leave. I don't think you want to stay here."  
She punctuated her last statement by waving her hand over the bunch of girls that was daydreaming of 'their new love'.  
  
*********************  
  
Not 15 minutes later Ranma, Shinji and a now awake Genma were walking away from the village.  
  
"You know Shinji, next time I fight please don't throw any stones at me."   
  
Shinji sputtered  
"But Ranma….I … I'm telling the truth…if you had won she would have had to marry you! Believe me!"  
  
Ranma grinned.  
"Hey, take it easy bro. I believe you, Ku Lon told us the same after all. I wonder why pops was so eager to get out of there when she mentioned the marrying thing."  
His grin turned into a slight frown.  
"Hopefully he hasn't done something idiotic again. For him to forgo free food and only take as much as he can carry something has to be up."  
  
Shinji nodded. Genma was awfully jumpy when he heard that whole 'marry-who-defeats- you' deal.  
"So Ranma, where are we going now anyway?"  
  
Ranma shrugged and shouted, so his father could hear him.  
"Hey pops, where are we going now?"  
  
"To Nerima in Tokyo. We will visit an old friend of mine!" '...and engage you to one of his daughters, but that's just an unimportant detail. Hehe'   
  
*********************  
  
Later that day in Ku Lon's hut.  
  
Elder, the older man said they would go to Nerima in Tokyo.  
Ku Lon nodded.  
That's all I wanted to know Lotion. You can go now, thanks for your services.  
As the young scout left her hut Ku Lon grinned, marring her already hideous features even more.  
'It seems our next husband-hunt will be in Nerima Tokyo. I look forward to our next meeting Shinji and Ranma. We will see who walks away the winner the next time. You can't escape forever!'  
  
  
  
  
  
End chapter 1  
  
*********************  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Well, that's the beginning of my new story. How did you like it? Please drop of a review. Spend a few minutes for that little favour after you have gone to the trouble of reading through this.  
  
For all those who are wondering: I am still working on WOTW. In fact, I have already finished the fourth chapter, but I wanted to wait till my pre-reader has gone trough the whole story once before posting again.   
However, since he's taking his time, I'll post this little idea. That means all the mistakes in there are mine alone.  
  
Hopefully it's a little better than WOTW, although I doubt it. I have already noticed that Shinji is a little OOC in this first chapter, but it isn't easy to keep such a serious character IC when he is thrown in such a happy go lucky world like Ranma's. 


	3. SS2 Welcome At The Tendos

*******************  
  
Chapter 2 – Welcome at the Tendos  
  
6 weeks later – the streets of Nerima  
  
The citizens of Nerima were used to weird things, Nerima being a district of loonies and all, but the sight that greeted them right now made them uneasy. It was like the three figures walking through the streets were harbingers of chaos, and everybody steered clear of them.  
  
The three figures consisted of two beautiful girls, one with red hair bound in a pig-tail and one with dark blue hair that was hanging loosely.  
What made the citizens of Nerima queasy though, was the big Panda following them.  
  
"I swear. I'm gonna kill that panda someday! Why can't we just visit mom instead of going to this old friend of his? I wanna know what he's up to!" the redhead said while trotting down the street.  
  
"I don't know Ranma. Let's hope we can warm ourselves up by this friend of his. Okay, now this direction, then we should walk right by his house. I…."  
  
Ranma noted his companion's sudden halt.  
"What is it Shinji? Something wrong?"  
  
"Yes. I think it is best, if your dad stays behind for a while. I don't think the Tendos will react very well to a Panda walking into their home. Maybe we should explain the curses to them before he walks in?"  
  
"No! I don't want everybody to know about that!"  
  
Shinji rolled his eyes. He had been together with Ranma six weeks, and they had the same argument about 10 times. He would say they should explain the curses, Ranma would say he wanted nobody to know. In the end, Shinji always won with better arguments, but he had to admit it was getting old. Then again, he could understand, at least partly. It seemed Genma had instilled into Ranma that girls were weak; therefore turning into one wasn't desired.  
It would probably take quite some time to break Ranma out of this.   
"Ranma, what did I tell you the last time we had this argument? They will find out eventually. And they will feel betrayed if you try to hide it!"  
  
Ranma instantly sagged into himself. He couldn't understand how Shinji always managed to gain the upper hand in any kind of argument.  
"Okay, I'll shut up now. You go to them and tell about the curse, I'll keep pop busy."  
  
"hey, Ranma…." Shinji was already too late. The redhead was already in mid-kick, aiming for the Panda behind them. They began fighting in the open street, leaving Shinji standing there.  
'These two. Can they go one day without fighting? Probably not.'  
Then he began walking down the street   
He stopped in front of a large wooden gate, proclaiming "Tendo dojo" on a sign above.  
Shinji swallowed and walked in.  
'I hate dealing with strangers. How could Ranma do this to me? He knows I'm no good with talking!'  
  
***********************  
  
A few minutes earlier in the Tendos' living room  
  
"….And made a pact with Genma to unite the schools. Therefore one of you will be Ranma's bride! They should be arriving sometime today." A middle aged man with moustache said excitedly.  
  
The reaction from his daughters was rather immediate.  
"You WHAT???" screamed Akane Tendo.  
  
"…………….." Was all Nabiki Tendo could say, wither jaw firmly implanted in the wooden floor.  
  
"Oh my". Kasumi's always present smile slipped a little at hearing that, but quickly found back to its usual fullness   
  
Nabiki, being the first to recover thought it over a moment and came to the conclusion that maybe this wasn't so bad. Her being commonly known as the 'Ice Queen' didn't make getting a boyfriend very easy.  
"Is he cute daddy?"  
  
Soun gave her a meek smile.  
"I...don't know?"  
  
"What do you mean you don't know? Haven't you met him before?"   
  
Soun grinned stupidly at them.  
"No. he has been on a ten year training-trip. I have never seen him. All I know is that he is an incredible martial artist."  
  
At that point Akane's temper boiled over and she vented her anger by screaming:  
"How can you engage us to some perverted boy you have never met before?"  
  
After Akane's outburst Kasumi added her two cents   
"I hope he isn't too young. Younger men are boring"  
  
At that point someone knocked on the front door.  
  
Nabiki and Soun were two blurs as they moved to the front porch.  
Soun flung the door open, prepared to give his old friend a bear hug, only to stop short when there was no Genma outside. Instead his gaze fell onto a girl that he guessed to be around 15 that had long dark-blue hair. In fact, the shade looked almost like Akane's.  
He took a moment to collect himself before he addressed her.  
"Who might you be Miss?"  
  
Nabiki looked on curious and caught the girl flinch when her father had asked her.  
  
  
  
  
Shinji swallowed his nervousness.  
"Are you Soun Tendo?"  
  
The man with the moustache nodded.  
"Yes, that would be me."  
  
"Good. I presume you have gotten a postcard from Genma Saotome?"  
  
Soun was immediately concerned for his friend's wellbeing. You could already see the tears forming in his eyes, preparing to cry for his friend.  
"Yes, I have. Why? Has something happened to him?"  
  
Shinji let out a sigh.  
"Do not worry yourself Mr. Tendo. He and his son are alright. I'm merely here to prepare you for their arrival. If I may come in? I have to show you something."  
  
Now Nabiki decided to get into the conversation.  
"Oh? And who are you? Why should we believe you?"  
  
The girl shrunk under her gaze, but answered anyway.  
"Do not worry Miss Tendo. I will do you no harm. As for who I am….I'm Ranma's…brother, Shinji"  
  
Nabiki narrowed her eyes. Who did that girl think she was kidding, with that rack in front of her?  
"Yeah right! If you are his brother, then care to explain how you got these?"  
To emphasize her query she poked the girl's breast.  
  
Shinji flinched away.  
"I..can explain…please…just give me a chance"  
  
That moment something rare happened. Soun Tendo found his spine for a moment and shushed his daughter, seeing how she made the girl nervous and invited the stranger into his home. He didn't really get the brother part, but never let it be said that Soun Tendo was a bad host.  
  
************************  
  
5 minutes later   
  
Kasumi came out of the kitchen and handed Shinji the requested kettle with hot water.  
"So…can you now tell us what happened, that you were sent ahead to explain?" A still very suspicious Nabiki asked.  
  
Shinji took a deep breath to calm her nerves, knowing she would sound like a loony.  
"We were at a place called 'the cursed springs'. It's a small valley located in a mountain-range deep within China. The valley is littered with hundreds of small springs. Fact is, when something drowns in a spring, the next person to fall into it will automatically change form to that of the thing that drowned first. I came here first because all of us got cursed. I and Ranma turn into girls when hit with cold water, that's why I'm currently looking like this. My father turns into a giant Panda, so I thought it wise to inform you before bringing him here."  
Shinji ended her tale and waited for reactions. As she had predicted, they weren't very positive.  
  
"You really think we will believe this bull?" Nabiki said derisively  
  
"My, it is not very proper to lie at somebody Shinji-kun!" Guess who that was?  
  
"As much as I would like to believe you, we need prove." The youngest Tendo was rather calm about all this, mainly because she believed the girl before her had hit her head to hard. But that wasn't her fault, so she tried to be polite about it and help her out.  
  
Soun was the last to speak. His voice held a great deal of agitation.  
"Is it true? You actually found the cursed springs? To think my old friend Genma got cursed at this place shrouded in misery! And what about the schools? With you and Ranma being girls we can't fulfil the pledge.   
Oh. WHAT A MISERY!!!!!!!" Soun broke down crying, using wail #567 (my best friend turned into a Panda) and #568(Because my best friend has now two daughters the schools won't be joined) with equal measure.  
  
Next to him Shinji sweatdropped. 'Is that guy for real? And what was that about marriage?'  
Ignoring the crying man Shinji took the kettle into her right hand and held it over her the other.  
"I have proof of my story. You see, hot water reverses the effect, bringing the victim back to his or her original body."  
  
When she finished the sentence the girl dumped the contents of the kettle onto her hand.  
Long flowing blue hair shrank back to be replaced by a mob of brown. The strain on the red silk shirt's front disappeared as a well rounded female chest transformed into a quite flat male chest. Contours softened and features changed.   
  
All the Tendo-girls goggled at the BOY sitting before them now. He stared back at them from midnight-blue eyes, wondering, waiting.   
"You…You..how….you are a boy!" Said a shocked Akane.  
"Oh my!" isn't that line getting rusty Kasumi?  
"How did you do that?" Nabiki questioned, already wondering how she could make profit of this.  
  
Shinji smiled weakly.  
"I know, it's a lot to take in, but this is for real. I…."  
  
"…..Will you stop it you stupid Panda. If Shinji hasn't explained himself they will freak"  
The next moment a big panda came waling into the living-room. A red bundle was thrown over its shoulder, secured with chains.  
  
Suddenly Nabiki could see the wisdom in sending Shinji ahead. In any other situation she would have run screaming for the hills when confronted with the sight of a menacing looking Panda, but because of Shinji's warning she could stay put and remark in a dry voice :"I take it this Panda and his unwilling load are your father and Ranma?"  
  
"Yeah, that would be them…"Then addressing the newcomers "Here's some hot water to change back"   
  
The Panda eagerly took the offered kettle and doused itself and the redhead that was now trashing around on the floor. Before the Tendos' eyes a panda turned to a bald overweight man, and a cute red-head turned into a well-built boy. This had the side-effect of snapping the chains that were now to tight-fitting for his form.  
  
When Soun saw his old-friend he drew him into a bone-crushing hug.  
"Saotome old friend. How long it has been. I'm saddened by your fate. To think you got cursed…."  
The man released his hug on his friend and drew Ranma in.  
"But our problem isn't so bad, if you are still half male. I'm so happy to see you Ranma"  
Before Ranma could say anything the deranged man dragged him to the table and kept rambling.  
"Here are my daughters: Kasumi, she's 19. Nabiki, 17 and Akane, 16. Choose one and she will be your fiancée"  
  
Finally Soun stopped, giving Ranma a moment to digest what was said.   
'fiancée?????' It echoed in his head. His brows furrowing Ranma turned to his father.  
"..POP!"  
  
Genma swallowed nervously.  
"…Now, do nothing you will regret later Ranma."  
  
"WHAT. DID. YOU. DO. THIS. TIME?" If looks could kill, Genma would have died a gruesome death at Ranma's eyes that moment.  
  
Seeing as his son was readying to kick his ass Genma spoke as fast as he could.  
"Um, well. Tendo and I made a pact to unit the families."  
Ranma's fist was already on the way….  
"You have to uphold honour and marry one of his daughters."  
…and stopped a few scant millimetres in front of his face. Genma was sweating bullets.  
"Now who do you chose?"  
  
Still sitting on the table Shinji frowned. He knew why Ranma had stopped: Genma said the h-word. Shinji had noticed early on, that Ranma held honour above all else. That wasn't a bad thing since it meant he would try to do the right thing at all times.  
What was bad, was that Genma knew this. His new father was constantly badgering his son with loss of honour for one thing or another and managed to keep Ranma on a leash that way.  
That meant it was his turn to help Ranma out. Normally he wouldn't say anything, but Ranma had told him a hundred times the past months that it was a martial artist's duty to help those who couldn't do it themselves and right now Ranma needed help desperately.  
"Don't you think this should wait a little bit? Why engage Ranma to one of them only to see later it doesn't work out. Wouldn't it be better to let them get to know each other before deciding who becomes engaged? "  
  
Opposite of Shinji, Nabiki caught onto the younger boys plan to stall time.  
She was already in the process of shoving Akane to the front and stopped. Maybe together they could stall. Not that she was opposed to being engaged to a male Ranma. The guy was seriously cute, after all. But the fact that he turned into a redheaded girl freaked her out a little bit too much.  
"I think he's right daddy. It's best to get to know our would-be fiancée before we decide who will marry him"  
  
Soun and Genma looked at each other, weighing the pros and cons of what they had been told.  
"I think Nabiki is right Saotome. Let's wait till the children know each other a little better. For the time being all of you can stay at our home, that way your son can have time with each of my daughters."  
  
Seeing as he would be housed by Soun, Genma didn't have a problem with the arrangement for now. He made a small not in the back of his head to go a little harder on Shinji the next day for being too intelligent for his own good. If the little ingrate hadn't said anything Ranma would have been engaged this day. Of course, Genma conveniently forgot all the other promises he had made while he thought this.  
"Very well. I too think that is the best course of action."  
  
With the engagement taken care of, the group quickly dispersed. Kasumi stood up to prepare the meal and get the guestroom ready. Nabiki walked upstairs and muttered something about 'freeloaders are gonna eat us out of or home' and Sound and Genma quickly set up a shogi-board and started playing.  
That left Akane together with the two boys. She would have dismissed both of them as perverts because of the fact that they turned into girls, but since they were guests she decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. Shinji seemed nice enough…for a boy. Ranma, she couldn't really tell.  
Not liking the silence that was ensuing she spoke up: "So, you do karate, right?"  
  
Both boys nodded.  
  
"Wanna spar?" She asked eager to test her skill. Of course, she knew she would win, but she had to know how good they were, right?  
  
Ranma looked at her dubiously, but before he could say anything insulting like 'why should I spar you? It's not like you stand a chance', Shinji cut in.  
"We…we would like that very much. Right Ranma?"  
  
"Yeah whatever. Let's go."  
  
***************  
  
5 minutes later  
  
Akane and Shinji were facing each other from about 6 feet away. Ranma stood on the sidelines to watch.  
"Okay you guys. Anything goes. First one to lose consciousness or give up loses! FIGHT!"  
  
When Ranma finished both combatants stood still, neither moving an inch. Their expressions differed widely, though.  
The nervousness was plain on Shinji's face, which wasn't surprising. He was going up against someone who practiced the same school as Ranma. That meant the girl before him was probably way over his head, although her appearance indicated otherwise. Shinji decided to abide his time and wait, better safe then sorry after all. The fact that Ranma had forced him to fight her didn't help matters at all.   
  
Opposite of the 14-year-old Akane was already picturing her victory in her mind. She saw that the boy was nervous and decided to go easy on him. He had been nice up till now, after all. That in mind she opened the match.  
  
When Shinji saw the incoming opening-punch his nervousness evaporated as it did every time when he fought.  
Now totally focused on the fight at hand he dodged the first strike by leaning to the side.  
  
Akane frowned as the boy simply leaned to the side to evade her strike, and quickly brought up her leg for a sidekick.  
  
Again, Shinji avoided being hit by jumping over it.  
This continued for a while and slowly but surely Akane was getting frustrated. Her punches and kicks became faster and stronger with each miss and Shinji found himself having problems to dodge them all.  
  
Watching the two fights Ranma couldn't help but frown. Shinji wasn't attacking his opponent again. That was a common occurrence and understandable when his opponent was weaker then himself, but Ranma could tell Akane was better then Shinji, if not by much. He himself hadn't fought her because he knew he would have won without problems…..and because he still didn't like fighting girls.   
The teen shook his head at his friend's attitude. On the one hand Shinji wanted to learn martial arts, but on the other the boy couldn't hurt a fly. He only fought all out when sparring with somebody he knew was better than him. Ranma just wondered when the boy would realize his opponent was better and start hitting back.  
  
  
Meanwhile Akane had worked herself into full blown anger and was swinging at Shinji with everything she got, which helped only to make her style more sloppy and predictable.  
  
Shinji had been hit a few times and felt his body giving way. Not to mention that very hit hurt like hell and was wearing thin his pain-threshold pretty fast Now sure that Akane was indeed his better in the art he exploded outward and struck one of the many openings the girl left.  
  
Akane had only time to blink once as Shinji broke through her nonexistent defences and struck her three times in a row. Akane being totally unprepared for his change of tactics the boy got in even more hits and in seconds it was over. A punch into Akane's solar plexus and she was out cold.  
  
Shinji looked at the girl shocked. "How…why…I…..beat her?"   
How that possible? He knew she was better, but when he attacked her Akane's defences where non-existent.   
Suddenly a hand fell on his shoulder.  
"Well, Shinji. Seems like you won. I must say I'm kind of surprised. Akane has a good offence, but her defence is laughable. Come on, let's get her into the house and lay her down somewhere. You did quite a number on her!"  
  
Shinji flushed as he took the girls right arm, while Ranma took the other.  
"I didn't mean to….I just….she…..sorry:" He stammered and hung his head.  
  
Ranma chuckled, now used to the apologetic ways of his brother.  
"It's alright Shinji. Stop apologizing already. You couldn't have known. And if you really feel the need to apologize, then apologize to Akane not me. Now let's go.."  
  
*******************  
  
Ranma and Shinji entered the living room just as Kasumi walked out of the kitchen with a tray of tea.   
When the pseudo-housewife saw the slumped over Akane her smile lost just a touch of it radiance and a dainty "Oh my! What happened to Akane!" escaped her lips.  
  
That, of course alerted Soun to the situation and being the protective father he didn't hesitate to deploy his ultimate attack: the demon-head.  
His head grew to 10 times its size and fire seemingly roamed his body as he turned to the newly entered boys.  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BABY RANMA!!!!!!!!???????"  
  
Said boy was clinging to the ceiling when Soun ended his sentence, leaving Shinji alone on the ground with Akane. However, Shinji wasn't the least bit intimidated by Soun's appearance. How could he, with his head bowed low in shame.  
"I want to apologize for hurting your daughter mister Tendo. Ranma had nothing to do with it. I…have just misjudged a move while we sparred."  
  
Of course, such an admission didn't exactly help calming Soun down. While he was impressed by Shinji's politeness the boy still hurt his daughter (the fact that it was unwillingly and in a sparring match totally escaped his notice).  
"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT: YOU HAVE ONLY BEEN HERE ONE DAY AND HAVE ALREADY HURT MY DAUGHTER!WHO GIVES YOU..."  
  
Shinji clenched his eyes shut and tried to block out Soun's berating.   
Why was it always his fault? Couldn't he really go without hurting somebody? Now he had probably ruined the bond between the families as well and all just because of him!  
God how he wanted to cry at the unfairness of it all! He felt like an ant that was about to be stepped on.  
'RUN AWAY' was all that his mind was screaming at him, and he probably would have then and there.  
But then he remembered the girl in his arms and firmed his resolve.  
His free hand clenched into a fist as he forced himself to ignore Soun to take Akane to the couch.   
He owned the girl at least that much. Besides, Ranma would probably pound him to death if he dropped her on the floor.  
  
  
  
When Shinji started clenching and unclenching his fist Ranma started to worry. He had seen the boy do this once before when his father had berated him for some silly thing and afterwards he had to search for the boy six hours because he had run off. While the talk they had after that ordeal had helped to make the younger boy he shouldn't blame himself for everything, he still tended to take the blame when somebody berated him intensively.  
THIS was more then intensively.  
  
Before Ranma could react his brother had already reached the couch, disposed of Akane and ran out the door as Ranma had predicted.  
  
  
The next moment it was Soun's turn to cower as Ranma lifted him off the ground, grabbing the front of his shirt.  
The young man was glaring at him with eyes of ice cold blue.  
"What did you go and do that for, huh? It was just a sparring match and both of them knew the risk. Heck, your daughter isn't even seriously hurt. Shinji only hit her the last five seconds! Do you even know what you just did? You made Shinji believe he's lower than scum with this little tirade of yours! NEVER EVER dress him down over something this meaningless or you will regret it. You maybe my father's friend, but no one messes with Shinji."  
Not even waiting for an answer from the gaping Soun Ranma dropped him on his backside and dashed out the door in search of Shinji.  
  
Soun turned to Genma with a stupefied look.  
"Genma, what was that all about? He hurt my baby, didn't he? Wasn't it my right to reprimand him?"  
  
Genma sighed.' This is going to take a while'  
"No, Soun, it wasn't right. Ranma said it, it was only a sparring match. But that isn't the point. I bid you old friend don't do that again. While I admit freely that Shinji is not the best martial artist or very manly, he is one of the nicest persons that walk on earth. Problem is, he is also somebody who takes anything very seriously. You accusations have probably hurt him very deeply. This has happened once before, when I did the same thing to him. Ranma took six hours to find him afterwards, a sobbing wreck if I ever saw one. So, please try to keep it down around him. While I may not be the best father or man I do not want to be at fault when his fragile mind shatters." And indeed, what Genma had spoken was the truth. He did not want to see Shinji gone. While he had disapproved of the idea of Shinji travelling with them, he had come to like the boy. That had several reasons: He didn't complain about any training he was put through and did as he was told, not like his other disrespectful son. Second, Shinji turned out to be a very good cook and had sustained them quite well on their trip. Third, it was really enjoyable to train the boy since his gift for the art nearly rivalled Ranma's. Of course, last but not least Shinji was his trump card in the joining of the families, if Ranma backed out.  
  
Soun contemplated his friend's wise words and nodded to himself. Maybe he had really overreacted a bit and if what Genma said was true he would watch his tongue around Shinji from now on.   
  
Immediately after Soun finished thinking he started wailing, using wail #569(I have just unintentionally caused the son of my best friend great inner turmoil. I'm such an evil man, please shot me now)  
  
Fortunately for him now one in Nerima was able to understand what the wail meant, otherwise Soun might have just been dead the same day.  
  
************  
  
Ranma was travelling the streets of Nerima at high-speed, cursing Shinji for his incredible stamina when it came to running.  
He had been looking for his wayward brother nearly 20 minutes now.  
Crossing over a small bridge Ranma thought he heard something and stopped to listen.  
Listening closely the young martial artist could make out the faint noise of someone sobbing, something a normal person wouldn't have heard.  
'Well' He thought dryly 'Seems like I found you Shinji!'  
Without hesitation he jumped over the ledge and landed soundlessly behind the form of his brother.  
Waiting for a reaction and not getting any Ranma started to speak.  
"You need to come back, you know?"  
  
The voice came unexpected and made Shinji jump, realizing it was Ranma he settled down again though.  
"But Ranma….I …hurt …her…I can't go back. Haven't I destroyed the bond… between your families enough…. by my actions. Mr. Tendo is going to kill me!"  
  
Ranma sighed, he had this discussion before and he hated it now as much as he did back then.  
"Shinji stop worrying over something so meaningless! Akane was hurt in a sparring match. That's perfectly normal and happens all the time."  
He put his hand on Shinji's shoulder to stop him from interrupting.  
"And no, it's not your fault at all. You have to stop taking the blame for everything and stand up for yourself sometime. If anything Akane is the one to blame for giving you such an opening. You're the friendliest person I know ad we both know you wouldn't ever hurt somebody willingly. And no, Mr. Tendo won't kill you. He has just overreacted a bit. So cheer up and let's get back."  
  
Shinji swallowed hard and wiped away some tears. He knew full well that Ranma was right, but he just couldn't help himself.  
'sometimes I'm a real pansy…' he belittled himself in his mind. '…but with Ranma around I can get better'  
And he believed every word he thought. Ever since he met Ranma things had been looking up in his live. The older boy was always there for him and had a way of cheering him up, that no one else had.   
He gave Ranma a meek but sincere smile   
"Thanks bro. I really have to stop and think about things a bit more sometimes, but with you around that isn't a problem."  
That said he gave Ranma a tight hug, which Ranma was totally unprepared for.  
  
Awkwardly Ranma returned the hug, not very comfortable with the closeness they shared but knowing full well that Shinji needed it.  
  
After a few moments Shinji pulled back and smiled  
"Thanks, I needed that, now lets……"  
*SPLASH*  
"…go back" finished a drenched Shinji-chan.  
  
"Figures!" snorted a now female Ranma.  
  
They looked at each other…and broke down laughing. Somehow their curses had the annoying habit of creeping up at the most…inappropriate of times.  
  
  
  
The old lady who had dumped the contents of her bucket over the bridge was left wondering why the two girls were laughing their heads off after getting splashed with dirty water.  
  
********************  
  
20 minutes later the two stinking teens entered the Tendo home, both of them still in their female forms.  
When Soun saw Shinji entering he immediately stormed to his side and caught the poor boy in a bear hug.   
Genma used this to put a few of his stones on the shogi board to a better position.  
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!!!! I didn't mean to yell at you Shinji, but I was so concerned for my youngest daughter, you must understand!"   
Somehow Soun managed to say all this while crying up a small river, further drenching Ranma and Shinji.  
After Soun released Shinji the 14-year-old could only gape at the man's behaviour.   
Was this guy for real? To think he had broken down crying because of this man! Shinji immediately decided that Soun was fitting into the category of emotional loony and that he shouldn't take the man for full all the time.  
  
Then he noticed that Akane wasn't lying on the couch anymore and his caring side came to the forth again.  
"Is Akane alright Mr. Tendo?"  
  
Soun stopped his crying for a moment.  
"Yes, in fact she is already back at the dojo to practice some more. I think her defeat has wounded her pride. Do not worry anymore son."  
He took a sniff of the air and noted (for the first time no less!) that Ranma and Shinji were girls and stinking like hell, showing his incredible perception skills once again.  
"You should worry about Kasumi instead. She doesn't like stinking people at her dinner-table. I would advise you to take a bath; the furo is on the second floor, I'm sure you'll find it yourself. Your things are already in the guest-room."  
  
Now made aware of their appearances Ranma and Shinji looked at each other.  
"We really need a soak" Ranma remarked and started up the stairs, Shinji close behind him.  
  
***************************  
  
30 minutes later  
  
Akane walked into the house sweat running down her head. She felt like she could fall asleep right there, but knew she had to take a bath before dinner.  
She had worked herself to exhaustion the last hours to get rid of her frustrations. The defeat at Shinji's hands could have been nothing but a fluke, she was sure of it, but it was better to be safe then sorry.  
When thinking about Shinji she couldn't help but growl. He seemed like such a nice guy but then he …he had the damn nerve to beat her, HER, in a sparring match.   
  
Angrily Akane turned the doorknob and walked into the dressing room of the bath. She quickly began dressing down, her mind still occupied.  
'Just you wait. I'll show these two….boys…what a real martial artist can do. Tomorrow I will paste them both! They should know that it was just a fluke!'   
As it was, Akane didn't notice the clothes that had been place on top of the stool in the dressing room, nor did the girl take notice of the 'occupied'-sign that was hanging on the sliding door leading to the bathing area for the entire world to see.  
  
So nothing stopped her to slide the door open….  
  
************************  
  
Ranma and Shinji were both relaxing in the furo, conversing quietly.  
  
"So Shinji, what do you think about the Tendos?"   
  
"I'm not really sure. Akane seemed nice enough at first, but she seems easily angered, kind of like Asuka. Kasumi seems really nice at the first glance. Nabiki? I can't really tell. "  
  
Ranma nodded. He had made the same observations (yes, he was actually noticing what other people were like; he just tended to ignore it most of the time).  
"Whom do you think I should pick as my fiancée?" he asked nonchalantly.  
  
Shinji looked at his brother baffled.  
"You really intend to go through with this, don't you? How can you be so accepting of this situation? It isn't like you ever agreed to anything, so it's not your obligation to fulfil the pledge. I mean, come on, arranged marriage is kind of out of the fashion in this place and time. Besides, marrying for no other reason then satisfying honour is just not right."  
  
Ranma put his head into his hands. This was, what?, the tenth time they had this discussion about honour this month.  
"You don't understand Shinji! I can't just stand up and leave. I would loose the only thing I have left, my honour. I would probably be cast out of the clan and become a ronin. I would be a nobody!"  
  
Shinji grinned. Ranma was using the same old arguments as always, something that was easily used against him after all this time. For a moment Shinji wondered how they had gotten so close to each other in such a short time, that he would actually argue with Ranma openly. Had it been anybody else Shinji would have simply let it go, but he knew Ranma was listening to what he said, even though he didn't exactly follow his advice. Casting these idle thoughts aside Shinji continued their recent debate.   
"So What? You have been on the road all your live, living of the land. What would be different if you got cast out of your clan? Ranma, we both know that I'm right about this. We had this discussion often enough. It's alright to have honour, but you shouldn't let yourself be pressured into something you know is wrong because of honour."  
Ranma didn't look any more convinced than last time they had talked about this.  
"Oh forget it. I won't change your viewpoint anyway, will I. Tell you what, Mr. Tendo and Genma have already agreed to wait for you to get to know them. Why don't you do that, and if we're lucky, you really fall in love with one of them and live happily ever after. If not……we will find a way out of this."  
  
Ranma considered Shinji's words and nodded his consent. Who knew, maybe Shinji was right?  
  
Both of them lay there a few more minutes before standing up to get dried up.   
Ranma was just about to put his foot down on the tiled floor……  
……when the door slid open, revealing an equally naked Akane.  
  
The three teens stared at each other for a loooooooooong moment, before Akane closed the door slowly.  
  
  
  
Seconds later a loud scream was heard outside the door.  
"That went well" Ranma remarked dryly, only to see Shinji holding his nose to stop the blood-flow.  
  
Shinji just wondered why his live became so much chaotic since he met Ranma….and why the older boy didn't get a nosebleed.   
  
******************  
  
Dinner was a surprisingly silent affair. Everyone shared a silent meal with Genma always trying to steal food from Ranma's and Shinji's plate. The Tendos decided to ignore this politely, now used to the weird behaviour of the three Saotomes. Of course, Shinji had to get several helpings during the meal since he wasn't proficient enough to block all of Genma's attacks.   
All through dinner Akane glared at the two boys with enough force to burn a hole through them. Ranma ignored it and Shinji wondered when the girl would calm down. Her temper was nearly as bad as Asuka's and he was sure if they hadn't been guests she would have long since pasted them.  
  
When dinner was over Shinji congratulated Kasumi to a perfect meal and offered his help in the kitchen, which was gladly accepted.  
  
That left Ranma alone with the rest.  
"Boy, you will go to school form tomorrow on. You will be in Akane's class and Shinji will go to the same school as well." Genma said in his high-n-mighty-voice.  
  
That comment was enough to set Akane off.  
"I will not go to school with that…that…pervert!"  
  
Ranma retaliated in kind. Open mouth, insert foot.  
"Do you think I want to go to school with a flat-chested macho chick like you?"  
  
*CRASH*  
  
"ow…that hurt" Came Ranma's muffled reply from under the remnants off the table that had been smashed over his head courtesy of Akane.   
  
More incidents of this kind were prevented since Akane retired to her room shortly afterwards (more like stomped up the stairs and slammed the door shut).  
  
It wasn't long before it was time to retire and soon the all occupants of the house were sleeping peacefully, resting to face the challenges of the next day……  
  
  
  
End chapter 2  
  
*******************  
  
Author's notes:   
Phew!, another chapter done.  
You can see this as my Christmas-present for all of you.   
Hopefully I managed to capture the feel of both series to some degree.   
Balancing the serious undertone of EVA and the funny undertone of Ranma ain't easy.  
  
Since you have read all of this please go to the trouble of spending two minutes to tell me how I did. That way I can eliminate mistakes before they become to glaring and my next chapter will be even better.   
  
mastermage 


	4. SS3 School Day

Shinji Saotome  
  
Chapter 3 – school day  
  
Tendo dojo – the next morning  
  
It was a wonderful morning and the peace was amiable.  
*CRASH*  
*SPLASH*  
Of course…this wouldn't be Nerima if it lasted long, so a body being   
flung out the closed window and into the small koi-pond wasn't   
all that surprising.  
  
Shinji Ikari immediately snapped awake to the sensation of cold water enveloping his, now her, body.  
Panic gripped her as she sunk under water, but it quickly receded as she realized she was already on the bottom of the pond.  
Standing to her full height Shinji dragged her soaked body out of the cold water, only to see Genma in panda-form landing a few feet away.  
For a moment Shinji felt anger at the panda and she wanted to punt him into orbit, but it quickly passed, leaving her only slightly annoyed.  
  
Genma-panda seeing Shinji frown held up a sign :Have a little respect for your teacher, son. I can't let you slack off in your training!   
  
Shinji sighed dejectedly. Sometimes the panda was really annoying.  
"I don't have anything against training…father…but you could have tried to wake me up the normal way, you know?"  
  
The panda smirked, quite a feat for an animal, and charged Shinji while   
holding up another sign.  
Stop making excuses and fight!  
  
And thus began Shinji's morning routine once again.  
  
********************  
  
20 minutes later  
  
Up in the guestroom Ranma woke up to the sound of combat coming from the yard. He would have loved to say he was surprised, but in truth he had expected it. Genma had taken up the habit of beating the snot out of Shinji every morning. It seemed the panda liked teaching (read: beating on) somebody who was rather new to the art and therefore preferred to spar with Shinji in the morning. Ranma himself didn't know whether to be grateful or worried about that. On the one hand he loved sleeping in, something he couldn't do before Genma started sparring with his new brother, but on the other hand Genma was rather hard on his new student from time to time. He wasn't too sure but Ranma had the creeping suspicion that Genma liked teaching Shinji. The old panda had refused to teach Shinji anything at first, but after the first two weeks he came around.  
  
Ranma stood up and stretched before jumping out the window in one swift movement.  
'Time to help Shinji out a little bit.'  
  
As if on cue to his thoughts, Ranma's foot connected with the panda's head, knocking the man-turned-animal away from Shinji.  
"I'll take it from here Shinji"  
  
Shinji nodded weakly and dragged her body to the front-porch.  
"Thanks Ranma."  
As the battle between the two other Saotomes intensified, Shinji plopped onto the porch to rest. Genma was always pushing her to her breaking point in their workouts and Shinji wondered, not for the first time, how Ranma had managed to survive training with the man for 10 years.  
  
It was still fairly early in the morning and Shinji doubted anybody would be awake around this time. Needless to say she quite surprised when somebody settled down next to her.  
"Your father and your brother are really good, Shinji-kun."  
  
Said person was Kasumi. She was dressed in a conservative but oddly fitting dress and apron. For all intents and purposes she looked like a housewife, and not like a nineteen year-old teenager. The serene smile on her face only served to strengthen that impression.  
"They're something else, I must admit. Before I met them I would have never imagined that humans could perform even half of the things they're doing. So, why are you up this early Kasumi?"  
  
"I'm usually preparing breakfast for my family."  
  
Shinji nodded; that made sense. Then she spotted the remnants of the window she broke that morning and couldn't help but feel guilty. Undoubtedly Kasumi had a lot more to do with them staying here.  
"Can I help you with preparing it Kasumi?"  
  
Kasumi looked at Shinji surprised, not having expected her offer at all.  
"I wouldn't want to bother you with that. You're a guest after all."   
  
Shinji shook her head.  
"It's alright. I wouldn't have it any other way. We are going to stay here a long time and it wouldn't do for us to do nothing around the house. Please let me help."   
  
"Very well Shinji-kun. But first, please go ahead and take a bath."   
  
"Sure, be right back" The blue-haired part-time girl said as she walked into the house.  
  
Kasumi stayed behind a few moments to watch the other Saotomes sparring.  
'Maybe this isn't so bad after all. I have a feeling things are going to get quite interesting around the house soon. It is fortunate that Shinji-kun is willing to help out.'  
  
*********************  
  
Breakfast was a rather quiet affair, only the Saotomes' chopstick fighting interrupting the silence.   
  
When everybody was finished Nabiki stood up and walked out.  
"I'm going out early! I need to take care of a few things."  
Once she was out Nabiki sighed loudly. She really didn't want to see the boys now, not after they woke her early with their sparring.  
  
That left Akane to lead Ranma and Shinji to school. With a huff the girl stood up and briskly walked out the door. "Come on you two perverts. I have to get to school, if you can't keep up…your problem!"  
  
Ranma and Shinji quickly followed.  
"What's her problem?" Asked Ranma annoyed.  
  
"I think Akane's still angry about yesterday. She doesn't seem to like boys very much"   
Shinji shrugged and stopped talking as they caught up with the angry girl in question.  
  
5 minutes later the threesome was walking to school; Ranma on the fence while the others choose to use the sidewalk.  
"What are you doing up there? Are you too high and mighty to walk with me?" Grunted an annoyed Akane.  
  
"Balance-training."  
  
Seeing as she wasn't getting any more out of the black-haired boy Akane decided to harass Shinji, who was walking next to her.  
"And why aren't you training with him then?"  
  
"I'm not good enough yet. I have tried before and always lost my balance. I don't want to risk falling in the canal." Replied Shinji with a neutral tone.  
  
Akane glanced at Ranma after absorbing that information. If what Shinji said was true Ranma was probably even better than Shinji. But that would mean he was better then her! After a moment of thought Akane quickly reached the most logical (to her) conclusion: The match with Shinji had been a fluke. There was no way a boy was better than her in fighting. The thought of the two being better was therefore ridiculous. Her ego satisfied Akane stopped talking and simply kept walking.  
  
  
When the school-gates came into view Ranma and Shinji were greeted by the sight of dozens of boys waiting with various sports-equipment at the entrance. Suddenly Akane started running, chanting the mantra 'I HATE BOYS, I HATE BOYS' over and over.  
  
Ranma and Shinji looked on baffled as the group charged the girl at once. Various proclamations ranging from "Akane, will you marry me" over "Today I shall beat you Akane Tendo" to " Please beat me up Akane-sama" reached their ears, both sweat-dropped heavily at the last one.  
"What the hell is goin' on?" Asked a bewildered Ranma.  
  
Shinji shrugged. "Don't have a clue." They watched as the crowd tried to beat Akane to the ground, which seemed quite futile from the way the girl mowed them down. "Although I think we have our reason for her hating boys. Whatever this is about, judging from Akane's reaction this is a daily occurrence."  
  
"Regardless, we gotta help her!" Proclaimed Ranma and prepared to join the fray.  
  
Shinji wanted to hold him back, thinking that Akane's ego wouldn't take too kindly to interfering. His word changed on the tip of his tongue when Akane was nicked by a hockey-player.  
"Right, let's go!"  
  
  
Akane was nearly halfway through the crowd of boys. After yesterdays loss she welcomed the fight to vent some of her anger. However, she hadn't trained as hard as yesterday for a long time, and her body was a little it sluggish in its movements, still recovering. That was also the reason somebody managed to avoid one of her blows to nick her with a hockey-club. She lost her balance for a moment, which was all the time her opponents needed to surround her.  
'What the hell is wrong with me? I can't lose to these perverts!'  
Another blow to her side proved her otherwise.  
  
Since everybody focused their attention on the fight, the two figures dashing towards the battle were overlooked.  
That is, till they hit the crowd.  
Bodies were flying left and right and before anybody could react, all the boys were out cold.  
  
  
Ranma and Shinji high-fived after knocking their opponents out. Seeing that Akane was still motionless Shinji approached her and waved a hand in front of her face.  
"Hey Akane? Are you alright?" When Akane's face twisted into an angry scowl   
Shinji couldn't help but wince.  
  
  
When Akane saw the two brothers standing before her, her first reaction was shock: She had never seen somebody dispatch opponents that fast. However, after shock came anger…lots of it. With all the force she could muster she knocked Shinji's hand away.  
"What do you think you are doing? This was my battle; you had no right to butt in!"  
  
"We were helping. You woulda lost otherwise. Geez, talk about unthankful!"  
Ranma still wasn't the best example when it came to tact.  
  
"Help????? I don't need anybody's help you idiot! I could have handled them quite fine!" Screamed Akane indignantly.  
  
Shinji couldn't help but wonder how often he had heard Asuka say these words. He suppressed a shudder and prayed with all his soul that this girl wasn't an older version of her. He couldn't deal with that.  
  
The discussion was interrupted as a small object whistled through the air. Akane caught it effortlessly and groaned. "Kuno…."  
  
Shinji and Ranma were treated to the sight of a boy clad in a kendo uniform walking towards them.  
"Ah, my ferocious tigress Akane Tendo. Today I shall prove to your holy presence that I am worthy of your attentions, today I shall beat you in combat. "  
Then his eyes narrowed as he took in the two newcomers.  
"And who are you knaves, to interfere in a battle over the fair Akane? I will not allow such lowborn folks to speak in such familiar tones with the fair Akane. I shall smite thee for your offences."  
  
Ranma opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't say anything, as Kuno Interrupted him.  
"Ah, but is it not custom to state ones name before any fight? Very well. I am Tatewaki Kuno, age seventeen, the rising star on the kendo-team of Furinkan High. Prepare to meet the wrath of the 'Blue Thunder'"  
For effect a lightning bolt slammed into the ground in the background.  
  
Again Ranma tried to speak, now sick about the pompous kendoist in front of him.  
*slap*  
Unfortunately for him Shinji decided that it would be a bad idea to let Ranma handle this. His hand still over Ranma's mouth Shinji spoke in a humble tone, something he was quite well versed in.  
"Ah, but Tatewaki-sempai you should not worry yourself with us. I can see you are seeking Akane-san's companionship. Rest assured that neither of us has any romantic interest in her person."  
  
"How can you think I would believe such an obvious lie? How could anybody resist the charms of such a beautiful maiden?" The kendoist spouted as answer.  
  
Shinji sweat-dropped. How to get out of that one?  
"Um, well…..it is true that she is indeed quite endearing. However, we are viewing her as a treasured sister, not a love-interest. You most know that we are living with Akane-san to spend some time with her and her family. Surely you cannot fault a poor sap like me for wanting to bask in her presence?"  
'Now that should do it!'  
  
  
Kuno once again showed that his brain could only deal with one piece of information at one time, as he spoke again.  
"WHAT! You are living with Akane Tendo under the same roof? NEVER! You cannot fool me! I will not allow this to continue. Have at thee!"  
  
Not wasting any more words Kuno charged at Shinji, since he was the one who spoke with him.  
Shinji got into a stance, trying to ignore the sweat drop on his head. 'How often have I told him now that we don't have an interest in Akane? Is he really that dumb or is he doing this for fun?'  
  
*smash*   
  
A swift kick from Ranma stopped Kuno's charge quite effectively.  
"Now listen here stick-boy. Nobody attacks my younger brother without good   
reason, or they gotta answer to me!"  
  
*crack*  
*kick*  
*smash*  
  
What followed was Kuno-trashing of the violent kind. Ranma was quite angry at the guy. Shinji had tried to talk to him and he attacked without reason! When Ranma had learned one thing from Shinji, it was that attacking somebody for no reason was in fact NOT nice.  
  
As Kuno fell to the ground unconscious the bell rang.  
"Kuso" screamed Akane as she, Ranma and Shinji and ran into the building, leaving Kuno behind to rot on the ground.  
  
On the second floor Nabiki grinned wildly as she counted the money this fight earned her. While she had been surprised at Ranma's performance she could care less as long as it brought her money. Nabiki smirked even more as she recalled Shinji's valiant attempt to talk Kuno out of the fight. The little guy had some brains, but it takes a lot more to talk Kuno out of anything.  
  
***********************  
  
Later that day  
  
Shinji was standing in the hall, holding buckets. After introducing Shinji to his new class the teacher had sent him out into the hall for being late. It seemed he was registered in school only one grade lower than Ranma. Normally he would have had to go one grade lower, but it seemed Genma wanted him to attend the same school as Ranma.(1) Shinji didn't really mind, at least with Ranma around he had someone to talk to. It was now the third period and Shinji was surprised he was still holding the buckets without much problem. It seemed the six weeks he had been training with Ranma had really paid off when it came to his endurance.  
  
"RANMA SAOTOME; I SHALL NOT ALLOW THIS TRAVESTY! YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS!"  
  
Shinji blinked.  
"That sounded like that Kuno guy. Seems like he's pissed off. Oh well, Ranma   
can handle him."  
Shinji proceeded to hold his buckets, ignoring the sounds of fighting now coming from the top floor.  
  
****************  
  
Meanwhile  
  
Akane and Ranma were standing in the hall holding buckets as well. They had been silent the first two periods up till now, but the silence was grating on Akane's nerves. That led to Akane being irritated. And what does she do when she is irritated? Right, she takes out her frustrations on the next target…that ended up being Ranma.  
"This is all your fault. If you hadn't taken so long with beating Kuno and   
if your idiot-brother hadn't blabbered that long I would have been on time!"  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes.  
"Oh will you stop it already. Shinji just tried to avoid the fight and it was that loony who started it first. By the way, what's with that morning brawl anyway?"  
  
Akane sighed.  
"That was Kuno's idea. One day he had the idea that everybody who wanted a date with me had to beat me in combat and ever since then these perverts have been trying to beat me."  
  
Ranma tried to discern if she was joking, but she seemed serious.  
"You are serious aren't you?"  
Suddenly a grin spread on his face.  
"You know, that means you owe Shinji a date! Not that he would want to go out with a macho-chick like you."  
  
Of course, that remark had the obvious result. Akane's head grew red, with embarrassment or anger, Ranma couldn't tell.  
"You idiot! I won't go out with you brother. It was just a fluke anyway, there's no way Shinji is better than me in fighting! And whom are you calling macho-chick anyway?"  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes again.  
"Calm down will ya? It was just a joke! Shinji would be far to shy to go on a date with you anyway, so don't worry. And yes, Shinji may not be better than you in fighting, but he still beat you square and fair."  
  
"Oh, and how could that be, if I am better?" asked Akane, now a little   
calmer.  
  
Ranma looked at her like that was obvious.  
"Easy, you were swinging at him like crazy; you lost control over your anger. That made your technique sloppy, and you left yourself wide open.  
Shinji put everything into one attack and overwhelmed you because your defences were non-existent. If you had fought   
with a clearer head he would have lost."  
  
  
  
That, while true, was also an insult to Akane's ego, so her mood darkened again.  
"Are you saying that…:"  
  
"RANMA SAOTOME! I SHALL NOT ALLOW THIS TRAVESTY! YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS!"  
  
Her rant was cut short by Kuno's battle scream as he charged down the hall, his mind set on the utter destruction of Ranma Saotome.  
The kendoist came within reach and leashed out with a downward slash, which Ranma simply hopped over, still holding the buckets.  
"What's the matter Kuno?"  
  
"Do not play dumb with me knave. I know all about your marriage to Akane Tendo, and I will not allow it!"  
  
Ranma frowned; this guy was starting to get on his nerves.  
"Listen you idiot, Right now, nothing is set in stone. I'm staying with the Tendos for half a year before we decide which one of his daughters will be my fiancée and I very much doubt it is going to be Akane since she already hates me!"  
  
"I will not listen to your lies! Now fight me!"  
  
"Fine, but let's go outside, this is no place to fight." With a cocky smile Ranma jumped out the nearest window.  
  
  
All the students that had been starting to fill up the hallway goggled at the sight. When Kuno jumped out the same window they winced a bit.  
  
  
The cocky smile quickly slipped from Ranma's face as he found himself rushing towards the pool.  
'Just my luck, I have to use the one window where there is a pool under!'  
*SPLASH*  
  
Ranma, now Ranma-chan, quickly reoriented herself and swam to the surface. She had to get away from school as fast as possible and find some hot water. She dragged her body out of the pool, the shirt clinging to her body now clearly showing that she was indeed quite female.  
  
*SPLASH*  
  
Ranma ran away, but stopped as somebody called her from the side  
"Psst, psst! Ranma!"  
  
Ranma looked over to some bushes, there was Nabiki, holding a kettle.  
"This can be yours Saotome, for only 500 yen!"  
  
Ranma considered: lose 500 yen or be seen as a girl?  
The choice wasn't hard.  
"You'll get the money at home!" Ranma was had just grabbed the kettle and was about to dump it on herself when………  
  
"Oh what beauty befalls my eyes? Please tell me your name oh beautiful one. I must know the name of a goddess such as yourself" Needless to say the idiot who was sprouting of these things was Kuno.  
  
Somehow Ranma couldn't help but shudder.  
"Don't come any nearer you pervert!"  
  
Has Kuno ever listened?  
*glomp*  
"Let me smother you with my affection. I will show you what the true love of a man such as I can be like!"  
  
Ranma's left brow started twitching violently.  
'He will die a slow and gruesome death!'  
"I am not a GIRL you idiot" Ranma's punctuated that scream with a head butt.  
  
The moment Kuno let go of her, Ranma kicked him into the gut for good measure and proceeded to give him a second beating, although it was a lot more violent this time.  
  
When Kuno had finally fallen unconscious Ranma huffed and changed back.  
'Now back to school'  
  
  
When Ranma was gone Nabiki came out and dragged Kuno's bloody form away.  
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! You had that coming Kuno-baby. Not that it will stop you from trying again. Seems like Ranma has already managed to get himself an unwanted suitor."  
*chuckle*  
  
*****************  
  
On the first floor Shinji shook his head as he saw a wet Ranma trudging towards him.  
"Seems like that Kuno guy has it in for you, huh?"  
  
Ranma nodded wearily.  
"Yeah, and now it seems like he has a crush on my girl-side too!"  
  
  
Shinji raised an eyebrow at that  
"You know Ranma. You are probably the only person on the world that attracts chaos like a magnet! Hopefully that won't rub off on me!"  
  
Ranma gave a mock frown.  
"Oh just shut up already. Be happy you don't have these problems."  
  
Shinji nodded.  
"Yeah, I don't think I could deal with them as well as you. I have enough trouble holding these frigging buckets. I have the feeling the teach wants to see me suffer. At my old school you only had to hold buckets for one period before going back in."   
  
Ranma shrugged.  
"So what? Take it as training then. If you're bored try lifting em or something. That's good exercise. Anyway, speak to you at lunch. Gotta go and refill my buckets now!"  
  
With that Ranma was off, leaving Shinji to his own devices again, who started lifting the buckets now.  
  
  
Inside of Shinji's classroom the teacher watched curiously as the new student started lifting the buckets instead of holding them. He wanted to punish him for coming late, and had actually hoped that he would drop the buckets…that always brought his students down a notch or two. However, he started to doubt this was going to work with that one, so he called him in again.  
  
***************  
  
After school  
  
Akane, Ranma and Shinji were walking home together after school ended. While Akane brooded Ranma was skipping along the fence.  
"Hey Shinji! Why don't you come up here?"  
  
Shinji looked up worriedly and blushed a decent shade of red  
"I don't think that's such a good idea. Remember what happened last time?"  
  
Ranma snickered  
"Of course I do. I think I won't ever forget the look on your face when you found yourself looking up that girl's skirt." (2)  
That comment was enough for Akane to walk faster and ahead of them, but they didn't really notice.   
  
Shinji blushed even more.  
"..It was an accident. And don't forget the beating we got afterwards"  
  
Ranma shrugged.  
"Oh come on now. That only happened once! Now get up here already! I'm still your sensei you know? Or are you scared you might fall into the canal? I thought my dad taught you to swim?"  
  
Shinji glared at Ranma for a moment, remembering back to the gruesome 'training' of Genma. When the man found out Shinji couldn't swim he proceeded to dump him into every water-body he could find and told him 'to swim'. After nearly drowning ten times Shinji surprisingly enough began to get the hang of swimming. Not that it made nearly drowning any more pleasant, mind you. While the training left Shinji with the ability to swim, water still made him uneasy, something that Ranma knew as well. It was something he had constantly used to pester Shinji about and frankly, it was getting annoying.  
'I'll show you bro!'  
Steeling himself Shinji concentrated. He still had some problems jumping even the 6 feet to the fence top.  
He gave a mighty thrust and flew upwards. He cleared the fence top…………and flew over it.  
*splash*  
  
"Sputter… I just knew something like this would happen!"  
  
Ranma laughed out loud.  
"You're so clumsy sometimes bro. You have gotten a lot stronger since last time you did this. Now try again with a little bit more feeling."  
  
  
"…Sorry….I'll get it right this time!"  
Once again Shinji jumped, this time from the canal-side and managed to land on the fence unsteadily.  
  
Ranma caught her before she fell.  
"That's better. Now just walk forwards like you did last time"  
  
Shinji did as Ranma said and managed a good 50 feet on unsteady legs, before she lost her balance and fell.  
*Splash*  
  
"Up again!"  
  
************************  
  
Shinji trudged into the Tendo yard in a very foul mood. She didn't know how often she had fallen into that damned canal; she had stopped counting after   
twenty. Now she wanted nothing more than a nice hot bath and fresh clothes.  
  
  
  
"Now, Now Shinji! We're not done yet. We spar before bathing!" Ranma said with a jovial voice. The martial artist was already limbering up for the match. Shinji sighed, seeing the wisdom in Ranma's words. If she had to do her afternoon-training it was better to get it in before bathing. Shinji dumped her school bag onto the porch and limbered up as well.  
  
Soon the young Saotomes were locked in an intense sparring match…intense for Shinji at least. Ranma simply had a fun time torturing his younger part-time sister. After sparring Ranma taught Shinji new moves in the dojo and forced him through some body conditioning, as he did everyday after sparring.   
  
*****************************  
  
When Shinji was finally free of the torture Ranma called training she dragged her tired body through the living-room, not even noticing the curious glances directed at her, and up the stairs. She wanted nothing more than going to bed. Shinji had enough presence of mind (and hunger) to remember they still had to eat dinner. That meant bathing and maybe helping Kasumi in the kitchen. So Shinji headed for the furo after dumping off her book-pack in the guest-room.  
  
  
As Shinji sunk into the hot water, he let out a content sigh, happy to be in his male form again. While he wasn't bothered by the curse as much as Ranma it still made him uneasy to be in a girl's body. He sat in the tub and let the hot water sooth away the kinks and knots in his muscles, once again cursing all the gods he knew for making him agree to learn martial arts from Ranma. From day one Shinji had drifted off to sleep dead tired after the hard training. The training he had received at NERV looked like child's-play to him now.  
  
NERV….. the word stirred his memory unbidden. He had tried to push all thoughts about NERV, EVA, the angels and even his friends away. He was with Ranma now. NERV wouldn't need him anyway, would they? Surely Asuka and Rei could handle the last 5 angels? With Misato's tactical backup there shouldn't be any problems.  
  
Thinking about the three women in his life Shinji couldn't help but feel guilty. Wasn't he just running from responsibility by handing over his workload to them? Could he really forgive himself if one of them got hurt because he wasn't there?  
  
The answer to both questions was clear: he was running, and he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. In addition he missed all of them terribly and Shinji's mind could only reach one conclusion: He needed to get back somehow, if only so that Ranma wouldn't clobber him because he let two girls fight the angels instead of doing it himself.  
  
That thought didn't bring Shinji any comfort. He had brushed sides with death far too often to want back into an EVA. This wasn't about wanting; this was about doing the right thing…the honourable thing as Ranma would say. Question was: How to go back? Shinji wasn't even sure where he was. Maybe he was in the past? Maybe he was in another universe altogether? Both possibilities didn't sound very realistic, but he couldn't deny what he had seen the past six weeks. Clearly on this world there were landmasses where there shouldn't have been any. The old Tokyo, on his world a city of ruins submerged under water, was still standing here……  
  
Deciding that he was too tired to think about this Shinji exited the furo and started drying himself off. He was just about to put on a fresh shirt when Ranma walked into the changing-room grinning like an idiot.  
"So Shinji, how do you feel?"  
  
Shinji glared at him  
"I feel like I always do after training: Dead tired, no thanks to you Ranma. See you at the dinner table"  
With that he exited the room, leaving Ranma alone. Said person just shrugged and proceeded to get undressed.  
  
*******************  
  
Dinner was as quiet for Nabiki as it always had been. That was something she wasn't expecting. From what her father had told her the Saotomes had been all over the place to learn martial arts, surely someone like that had some interesting stories to tell?  
  
Of course, it wasn't the story itself she was after. Money was what she craved and a few details about the Saotomes would give her just that. It seemed that a lot of students (mostly female) were interested to know more about the Saotome-brothers, especially Ranma. That   
was a source of income she couldn't ignore, especially since the Saotomes were nearly eating them out of house and home.  
  
Now how to go about extracting some info?  
"So, Ranma, why don't you tell us a little about your ten years on the road? Surely you have quite a few stories to tell?"  
  
Ranma looked up from stuffing his mouth for a moment, which was used by Genma to steal a morsel.  
"Uhm, I doubt I have anything interesting to tell, it was just training every day." Ranma deflected Genma's other attempts to steal without even looking.  
  
Nabiki frowned, but put on a false smile quickly.  
"Oh come on now Ranma-kun. I'm a fiancée-prospect for you, don't you think I   
deserve to know something bout you? What are your hobbies? Do you like music? Are you into animals? That kind of thing, you know?"  
  
  
Ranma shrugged.  
"I have already told you, there is nothing to tell. We were always moving around, so I didn't manage to make many friends. Martial arts is my life, I don't have time for hobbies! I don't like all these other things. That's what Shinji is for, why don't you ask him?"   
  
Next to Ranma Shinji resisted the urge to groan.  
'Great move Ranma! Direct attention to the one person, whose past is in a different world!'  
  
  
Nabiki did as Ranma said, seeing how she wasn't getting anything out of him. "So Shinji, what about you. The only thing you told me was that you met up with Ranma at Jusenkyo. How did you end up there anyway? What were you doing before?"  
  
Shinji gulped. How to answer that question? He knew he was a horrible liar. His past failings to do so proved that more than enough, but he had to try and give it his best shot.  
"Ah…well. Nabiki-san, I had been living with my uncle until I was fourteen but he and my aunt died in a car-accident nearly three months back. I…was in China because I was led to believe I had relatives there. …As you can guess…I didn't find them. I was just wandering around when I met Ranma."  
  
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. The boy didn't sound very sure of himself.  
"So, what is that about you having lived with your uncle? What about your parents?"  
  
  
Shinji's expression saddened with real emotion when he remembered back to the day his mother disappeared.  
"They both died in an experiment when I was four years old. I don't know any details though. It was 'classified'." Well, at least that was partly true. His mother was dead and his father was dead as a parent.  
  
Nabiki winced when she saw Shinji's expression. While most people called her the ice-queen she had feelings and having lost her own mother she didn't even want to think how it must have been to lose both parents.  
"Ah...sorry Shinji-kun….I didn't know!"  
  
"It's alright. It has been a long time since it happened anyway." He said reassuringly.  
  
Normally Nabiki would have questioned Shinji further about the subject, but thought it prudent not to stretch her luck. Instead she brought the conversation back to safer topics.  
"So, what have you been doing all these years with your uncle?"  
  
Shinji sighed dejectedly before answering in a tired voice.  
"I haven't done much of anything. I am not the kind of guy to make friends easy. I have kept mostly to myself: I was a loner. I only learned how to cook and playing the cello. That is, up until recently….. If you will excuse me now, I'll go outside for a moment. I need some fresh air." He added as an afterthought.  
  
As Shinji stood up Ranma noticed him nodding in his direction, nothing major, just enough for Ranma to notice.  
"I'm finished as well. It was delicious Kasumi. I'm gonna go out for a little bit as well." With that he stood and left out the front door.  
  
When Ranma was gone Akane snorted.  
"These two could at least wait till everybody is finished! How can they be so disrespectful?"  
  
"Now, Akane. I don't think they meant any disrespect. Shinji just needs to sort his feelings; it probably wasn't easy talking about his parents." Said Kasumi in her ever-calming voice  
  
Kasumi being Kasumi her words reached Akane, who hadn't listened in before, quite well, causing the girl to flinch. The death of their mother was a topic nobody wanted to talk about, so she had to give others that right as well.  
Of course…  
"Sorry, you're right Kasumi. But that doesn't excuse that other baka to leave as well!"  
  
A chuckle made it past Nabiki's lips, which got her Akane's attention.  
"Really little sister, you are so stubborn sometimes. Just because the boys at our school are all idiotic perverts doesn't mean Ranma and Shinji are too! At least give them a chance before jumping to conclusions!"  
Nabiki finished her sentence with a little anger in her voice. That left her looking like she was defending the boys, which she did indeed. She still felt bad for Shinji and decided to pay him back…..somehow she couldn't bring herself to dislike the quiet and shy boy.  
  
At the other end of the table Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome were dancing polka, now sure that Nabiki liked Ranma……they were ignored as usual.  
  
Akane, shocked to hear Nabiki saying this could only nod dumbly.  
"I'll try, I promise."  
  
  
Unnoticed by anybody Kasumi's smile got a little wider when Akane said that.  
  
*********************+  
  
Outside  
  
Ranma walked into the yard and called Shinji's name. He wasn't too sure, but Shinji had indicated he wanted to talk in private.  
  
A moment later his guess was proofed right.  
"Ranma, we need to talk!"  
  
Ranma didn't even flinch as Shinji stepped next to him, coming from behind.  
"What's on your mind? Did Nabiki bring back bad memories?"  
Shinji continued in a subdued voice  
"Yeah, but that's not it. I……decided to go back."  
  
Ranma looked confused for a moment  
"Huh? Back?"  
  
Shinji sighed.  
"I mean back to NERV, Ranma. I haven't thought about it much these past weeks since I was occupied with training and getting back to Japan. But seeing Tokyo made me realize something: I have huge responsibility back home and you taught me that running from it won't make the problem go away. "  
  
Then he nearly doubled over when Ranma slapped him on his back  
"Good to hear that Shinji. I'm proud of you!"  
  
"Um…well…thanks Ranma. There is just a little problem: How do I get back? As I see it, I don't have any means to get home. I don't even know if this is the past or another universe."  
  
"Hmmm, well that's a good idea. What did you have in mind, and what's it got   
to do with me?"  
  
Shinji hung his head in defeat.  
"I wanted to know if you have any idea how to go about this. Frankly, I don't have a single clue how to get back. Heck, I don't even know where my EVA is and without it I won't be much help!"  
  
Ranma clasped his shoulder reassuringly.  
"Don't worry about it for now. We will figure out a way to get you back and I'm sure your EVA will appear somewhere on the way as well."  
  
Shinji wasn't exactly convinced by Ranma's statement, but gave him a wan smile anyway. At least he tried.  
"Thanks Ranma: I'll go to bed now, had along day."   
  
When Ranma was left alone in the dark yard he looked heavenwards with a scowl on his face.  
"You just love screwing with people's lives, don't you?"  
  
As if to answer his question it began to rain out of the blue.  
  
"Well, this sucks!" said a very female Ranma as she made her way into the house, hoping that Nerima promised brighter days for her and especially her new brother.  
  
  
End chapter 3  
  
****************  
  
Author's notes:  
  
(1) I don't really know anything about the Japanese school-system, so I simply assumed Ranma's school would have Shinji's grade in it. It's more convenient that way for later chapters and I don't have to worry about bringing in ACCs .  
  
(2) Let's just say Shinji knows now that lacy panties aren't very effective in covering certain areas………that was one nasty nosebleed he got that day.  
  
Another chapter out! I know, this one wasn't very funny, nor very angsty, but I needed this to properly introduce Shinji and Ranma into Nerima.  
  
Some of you might say Nabiki defending the boys is OOC, but I believe Nabiki isn't just an Ice Queen and has feelings as well. I would imagine she would feel sympathy with someone who lost both parents, knowing how it feels to lose one herself, but that's just my opinion.  
  
  
Last but not least I want to thank my pre-readers :  
Macross_VF1  
Kuracao  
Ranshin  
Guncannon  
For their help in making this chapter into something readable.  
  
Do you have nay comments, questions or requests? Send em to master_meister@gmx.de  
  
Expect the next part out on my website within a month   
http://mitglied.lycos.de/mastermagefanfiction/ 


	5. SS4 The Lost Boy

Chapter 4 – The lost boy  
A youth was wandering the mountains…no the desert…..no the woods….ah screw it!   
Anyway, the youth was wandering. He carried a huge backpack and a tiger-striped bandana was bound around his head to keep his shaggy hair out of his eyes. I think you know by now that this young man is none other than Ryouga Hibiki.  
He approached a farmer.  
"Excuse me sir, but do you know the way to Tokyo?"  
  
The farmer looked at the stranger, confused.  
"Uhm kid, you do realize that we're in California, don't you?"  
  
"Huh? California! I was in Hokkaido only five minutes ago!"  
Before the farmer could say anything else the youth walked away in a random direction.  
Ryouga Hibiki balled his fist as he wallowed in his misery.  
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT RANMA SAOTOME. SOON I WILL FIND YOU AND THEN YOU WILL PAY!"  
  
********************  
  
In Nerima  
  
Ranma felt a shiver run down his spine, creating an opening for Shinji to score a solid hit that sent Ranma down.  
"Hey, my first hit!"  
  
Ranma glared at him.  
"No fair, I was distracted!"  
  
**********************  
  
A few days later  
  
Akane, Ranma and Shinji were walking to school, Ranma once again on top of the fence. The last days had seen Akane angry with Ranma a lot of times because he didn't want to fight her. That resulted in Akane asking Shinji to fight her so she could prove her skills by defeating him. Unfortunately she didn't take Ranma's advice from their first day at school to heart and had now lost a total of four matches against Shinji.  
  
Said boy was silently walking next to Akane, not daring to say a word. It seemed Akane was a very sore loser and Shinji really didn't want to risk her wrath. Unlike Ranma, he couldn't shrug off mallet-sama without an earth-shattering headache. Ranma on the other hand had managed to get himself malleted regularly by making some sexist comments about Akane.   
Heck, Akane was so mad at him that Shinji was seriously considering to let her win, but he really didn't want to know just how much her blows would hurt if she hit his face ……besides, Ranma would brain him if he willingly lost a fight.   
  
Up on the fence Ranma was happily walking along when…..  
*SPLASH*  
"Ack"  
*Smash*  
….the pig-tailed martial artist was hit by a swell of water, slipped and slammed into the sidewalk face first. It looked quite painful.  
  
Still, Shinji couldn't help but laugh, never having seen his brother lose control like that. The fact that he had stayed dry and male himself was an added bonus.  
  
Ranma-chan quickly stood up, a bruise forming on her forehead, and frowned.  
"Ha ha ha ha ha, very funny! I'd like to see how you'd handle hitting the concrete like that!"  
  
Shinji held his sides, trying to stop his laugher.  
"Sorry Ranma, I just can't help myself."  
  
"Yeah," chimed in Akane, who had been chuckling as well. "It was funny seeing your ego slamming into the concrete. Come on, you can't go to school like that; I know a place where we can get hot water."  
  
Ranma rubbed her bruise.  
"Yeah, that would be good idea. Don't want anybody to know about my curse."  
  
*********************  
The trio entered a mid-sized building with a sign that read 'Doctor Tofu's clinic'.  
Akane excused herself and went to fetch some hot water, leaving Shinji and Ranma to stand in the hall.  
  
Out of nowhere a hand fell on Shinji's shoulder….  
"UUAAAHH!"   
….and the boy proceeded to slam his head into the ceiling when he jumped out of surprise.  
  
Ranma turned her head….  
"UUAAHH!"  
Only to come face to face with a skeleton. Before she had the chance to copy Shinji, she noticed the man behind the skeleton and calmed down. Her guard was still up though; only very skilled martial artists could sneak up on her like that.  
  
The stranger broke out into a friendly grin.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise the two of you. Your friend is easily scared, huh?"  
  
Normally Ranma would have snapped at the man for hurting her brother, even if it was unintentional, but Ranma thought that after Shinji had laughed his head off a few minutes ago, he got what he deserved. Besides, the guy seemed nice enough.  
"Nah, don't worry about it. He's just a little pansy sometimes. Who are you anyway?"  
  
"I'm…"  
  
"Doctor Tofu!" finished an exuberant Akane as she stormed into the room with a kettle in hand.  
  
"Oh, hello Akane. What are you doing here and who are your friends?"  
  
Akane's expression fell a bit, but she kept a smile on her face.  
"That's Ranma and Shinji Saotome. They're going to stay with my family for a while."  
  
Ranma grinned and Shinji gave a polite bow.  
"Nice to meet you!" They said in tandem.  
  
Tofu nodded.  
"I'm Doctor Tofu Ono, as you probably already know.   
So, you're friends with the Tendos. Of course, that makes you my friends as well. If you have a bruise to be treated, just come by. Anyway, why are you here again?"  
  
Before Akane could say anything Ranma interrupted.  
"Ah…nothing important. We just...uh…wanted to make some tea! Right Shinji?"  
  
Tofu watched in amusement as the 14-year-old sighed and shook his head. In a voice used to explain something to a small child, Shinji addressed Ranma.  
"Ranma, how often have I told you to stop doing this? Dr. Tofu is a friend of the Tendos and he'll probably be the one to fix you up when you get hurt in a fight, so why don't you just TELL HIM!"   
  
Ranma winced when she caught the hint of steel Shinji's voice had carried in the last part. Even though Ranma didn't want to admit it, her brother could be scary when he wanted to. This was one of those moments.  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, I'll tell him. Jeeze, Have I told you lately that you can be quite a pest Shinji?"  
  
Her younger brother only grinned evilly, an expression that would have frightened many people who knew what he used to be like.  
"Now, what is it you have to tell me young lady?" Asked Tofu, clearly amused by their display of good-natured teasing.  
  
Ranma winced at the lady comment. She took the kettle from Akane and splashed herself with the hot water.  
The next moment a very male Ranma stood before a stunned doctor Tofu.  
"That's exactly it; I'm not a lady, doc."  
  
The good doctor quickly regained his senses and his eyes lit up.  
"Incredible. Is that really a Jusenkyo curse? And I had always thought it was just a rumor!"  
  
"You know about Jusenkyo? Do you know if there's a cure for my curse?"  
  
Tofu shook his head sadly.  
"Sorry, I can't help you there. I've only heard about this Jusenkyo, I don't have any kind of experience with it. Anyway, if you feel like it, why don't you come by sometime? I'm very interested in what you have seen in China." He looked at the clock, "But now, you should be going, or you'll be late for school."  
  
All three teens looked at the clock and as one they chorused "Oh damn!" and were out the door.  
  
Dr Tofu watched them disappear around the corner and grinned.  
'I have the feeling my clinic will soon have some new regular visitors.'  
  
********************************  
  
Lunch break  
  
Ranma and Shinji were sitting at their usual spot under a cherry blossom tree, eating their lunch.  
  
Well, actually only Shinji was still eating; Ranma had already inhaled his bento and was currently in the process of dozing off. When Shinji had finally finished eating, his brother was fast asleep.  
'How does he do that?' The boy wondered silently, before he leaned back to stare at the sky. The droning of the other students was strangely soothing as he watched the clouds drift by.  
On the other side of campus, Akane was sitting with her friends Yuka and Sayuri; the latter two were staring across the yard with dreamy looks in their eyes.  
  
"Will you two knock it off already? I just don't know what you see in that jerk!"  
  
Yuka and Sayuri pulled back to reality for a moment  
"Seriously, Akane how can you be so negative? Ranma is so cute…and he defeated Kuno" said Sayuri  
"Yeah…and you have the luck of living with him!" Chimed Yuka.  
  
Akane snorted.  
"You're only saying that because you don't know him. He's a loud-mouthed jerk with an ego to match, and a pervert too! I just can't stand him!"  
  
Yuka and Sayuri exchanged knowing looks, not believing any of it. Akane was known to hate boys, so it wasn't much of a surprise that Ranma wasn't exactly standing in her favor.   
Then Sayuri decided to test if she could get a rise out of Akane again.  
"Ok, so maybe Ranma isn't your type. What about his little brother, Shinji?"  
  
Akane frowned, preparing to let loose with a belittling speech just like she had done with Ranma, only to stop dead in her tracks. Akane may have been somebody to jump to conclusions, but she wasn't delusional. In other words, she could only think badly about somebody if he gave her a reason to do so. Thinking about Shinji, she tried desperately to find any negative point about the boy….and came up with nothing. The incident with the bath on their first day at the dojo turned out to be her fault, since she overlooked the occupied sign, not that she would ever admit it. His defeating her in the sparring matches wasn't his fault either. She knew full well that it was her fault for not being prepared. She had to admit, that of all the Saotomes, Shinji was the one with the most manners and best demeanor. The boy's shyness and calmness stood in stark contrast to Ranma's outgoing and often rude nature.   
  
Noticing that somebody was waving a hand before her face, Akane shook her head.  
"Sorry, zoned out there for a bit."  
  
"We noticed." remarked Yuka dryly "Now tell us what you think about Shinji!"  
  
Akane shrugged.  
"He's a pervert, but not as bad as Ranma. Aside from that, I can't really tell. He's rather quiet and shy most of the time. The only person he really talks to is Ranma. Oh yes, he is a very good cook. He's helped Kasumi in the kitchen ever since they arrived."  
  
Yuka and Sayuri looked at Akane in stunned silence.  
"Akane, are you all right?"  
  
"Huh? Yes of course, why do you ask?"  
  
Yuka looked doubtful.  
"Well, you just talked about a boy and only accused him of being a minor pervert. Either you're sick….or"  
  
"YOU'RE IN LOVE!" Exclaimed Sayuri and Yuka  
  
Akane's face turned beet-red  
"I'm not in love with Shinji! He isn't my type!"  
  
Suddenly Yuka was serious again.  
"Sure?"  
  
"Yeah. Shinji is nice….as a friend, although right now I want to kill him for beating me in our sparring matches!"  
Yuka grinned wolfishly.  
"Well, that means you've got no interest in either of them, right? So they're free game!"  
  
Akane took this opportunity to copy one of Ranma's techniques by smashing her head repeatedly against the tree they were sitting under as her lovesick friends proceeded to do a happy dance.  
  
*****************  
  
Shinji was marveling at the wonderful day. He hadn't been this relaxed in a long time, just lying there and watching the clouds drift by.   
  
"RANMA SAOTOME, PREPARE TO DIE!"   
  
Shinji groaned as he shifted to a sitting position to see who had screamed that.  
'Figures some loony would interrupt my quiet moment'  
It didn't take long to spot the bandana-wearing youth that was storming towards them at full speed, madly swinging an umbrella of all things.  
  
Noting that Ranma was still fast asleep, Shinji shook him awake.  
  
Ranma simply shrugged him off and turned away.  
"Lemme sleep some more. Class hasn't started yet"  
  
"Uhm, Ranma, there's some guy who wants to kill you, and he isn't Kuno!"  
  
That got Ranma to sit up. The figure descending towards him at full speed finally spurred him into action.  
Ranma grabbed Shinji and before his brother could blink, they were flying away. A loud crash was heard from behind them as something heavy impacted the ground.  
When they came to a standstill, a smoke cloud was settling where they were sitting a moment ago. Once the smoke cleared, a crater of nearly 6 feet in diameter was seen. The youth carrying a heavy looking backpack was standing in the middle.  
"Do I know you?" Ranma asked, seemingly unconcerned by the destruction before him.  
  
The other boy sneered.  
"You have the gall to forget me? You ran out of our duel and because of you, my life has been hell, and you dare to forget me? Die Ranma!"  
That said the stranger once again rushed towards Ranma, who started dodging swings left and right with seemingly no problems at all.  
By now the fight had attracted almost everybody's attention and Nabiki was already busy collecting bets.  
One of her cronies was writing down the bets and couldn't help but ask.  
"What do you think, boss, who's going to win?"   
  
Nabiki stopped a moment and looked over to the fight. Ranma was now fighting back, but the other boy didn't seem at all fazed by the hits he was scoring. Then she noticed the younger Saotome walking to a member of the baseball team and wondered what he was up to. Shinji asked something and promptly got a baseball bat handed to him. Then he bowed once and proceeded back to the fight.  
Nabiki raised an eyebrow.  
"Now this is going to be interesting."  
  
Nearby Akane and her friends were also watching the show. Well, Akane was fuming while her friends were watching.  
When Yuka noticed Shinji walk back to the fight, baseball bat in hand, she wondered what he was up to.  
"Hey, what's he trying to do? Get himself killed?"  
  
That comment got Akane's attention and she watched openmouthed as the shy boy came within reach of the duelists.  
Shinji was not the type to take action in any kind of situation. That was what his profile back at NERV would have stated. However, to every rule, there is an exception and the exception to this particular rule was one Ranma Saotome. While knowing that his brother could take care of himself in any kind of fight, Shinji did not like people attacking him randomly. In fact, he hated it. To see somebody use violence against another human being in such casual manner instead of discussing things made the young Ikari angry, very much so.   
And an angered Shinji is a force to be reckoned with. (1)  
  
This was the reason why he was currently walking right into the ongoing fight with that baseball bat in hand.   
The two battling teens had all their concentration on each other and didn't notice him.  
So he simply stuck the bat right between the two combatants.  
*crack*  
*crack*  
When two fists impacted something solid, the fight stopped.  
Ranma was now fully concentrated on his opponent, whom he now knew to be Ryouga Hibiki, an old friend of his, although he wasn't too sure the term still applied.  
"Will you tell me what's got ya so pissed off, lost boy?"  
  
Ryouga only sneered and kept fighting.  
"If you don't know, you don't deserve an answer. And stop insulting me you coward!"  
  
Their fight was promptly halted when both found their fists implanted in a baseball bat the next moment.  
Ryouga's eyes followed the bat and the arm attached to it, only to stare into a rather young looking boy's face. His very angry face, I might add.   
"You will cease this immediately! Both of you!"  
  
Ryouga was about to protest but Shinji cut him off.  
"I said BOTH of you! How can you just attack people out of nowhere? You seem to have a problem with my brother." Ryouga's mind reeled. Brother? Since when did Ranma have a brother? "If that's the case then you should tell him WHAT'S wrong. Just trying to kill him won't make your problems go away."  
  
Ryouga once again tried to explain, but was stopped again.  
"AND stop giving me that 'he made my life Hell'. If you don't tell us something specific, we can't change it, can we?"  
  
'How did he know I would say that?' wondered a stunned Ryouga, now a lot calmer, his fight with Ranma forgotten. Normally Ryouga would have just kept at it, but something about that boy gave him the creeps. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off about him. Relenting for once, Ryouga was about to go into a tirade about his curse…when he noticed where he was. Swallowing hard he stuttered to the boy who said he was Ranma's brother.  
"I….I'll tell you…but…I can't do that here. If we could go somewhere private?"  
  
Next to Ryouga, Ranma was relieved when the anger fled his brother's eyes. He couldn't help but get the creeps every time his little brother was angry. He had to marvel at his brother's ability to be able to calm Ryouga down. That was a feat not easily accomplished. (2)  
  
His brother nodded in answer to Ryouga's request.  
"Very well. I suggest we go home. I very much doubt we will miss anything important here. Let's go Ranma."  
  
Seeing his cue, Ranma scooped Shinji up in his arms and jumped away.  
"Follow me Ryouga!"   
  
Surprisingly the lost boy didn't get lost for once and followed, all the time wondering why Ranma had such respect for his brother when he couldn't even make this little trip himself.   
  
***************  
  
Ranma, Ryouga and Shinji were seated in the dojo. Since nobody seemed willing to talk, Shinji once again took the initiative, something he was not very comfortable with.  
"So, Ryouga, what exactly has ticked you off so much? And please, give us some details this time!"  
  
Ryouga looked decidedly uncomfortable for a moment before he pulled himself together.  
"It all started back in junior high school. Ranma and I attended an all-boys school and every day people rushed to the cafeteria to get the last bread. Ranma always cheated and stole the last bread, which would have been mine!"  
  
"Oh please! Don't tell me you're still angry about that!" Said an annoyed Ranma  
  
Ryouga's face darkened: "Of course I'm angry about it. But that wasn't the reason I followed you! Once I had enough of you, I challenged you to a duel and YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP, COWARD!"   
  
Shinji raised an eyebrow.  
"Is that true Ranma?"  
  
"Hah! Ryouga conveniently forgot to tell you he was over three days late!"  
  
"It's not my fault I have a bad sense of direction!"  
  
"For god's sake Ryouga, how hard is it to find the vacant lot behind your house!"  
  
"You could have waited longer!"  
  
"Well sorry, my father beat me up and dragged me to China. I would have waited otherwise."  
  
By now, both were in each other's face and quite angry. Shinji shook his head. These two had to have thicker heads than Asuka. THAT was saying something. Not wanting another fight, he shoved them apart.  
"Will you two stop it! You're telling me that you're angry because Ranma ran out on a fight? Ranma said his father dragged him off before you arrived. The solution is quite simple: You fight now, get it over with, and forget about all of this."  
  
Ranma nodded. "I think Shinji is right."  
  
Ryouga shook his head. "A simple fight is not enough. I have gone through hell to find you, and now I want my revenge!"  
  
Shinji sighed heavily. How anybody could be so stubborn was a complete mystery to him.  
"Ryouga, think about it for a moment. I will believe that you have had some horrible experiences, but you cannot blame Ranma for everything you have been through. The only thing you can blame him for is running out on your duel unwillingly!"  
  
Ryouga shook his head and trembled with suppressed emotion.  
"You do not understand. Because I followed Ranma, I now turn INTO A FREAKING PIG!"  
  
Ranma and Shinji looked on astonished as Ryouga broke down and started babbling.  
"I came to a valley called Jusenkyo and was knocked into a spring by a girl with red hair and the Panda she was chasing. " Shinji winced, somehow knowing who that was. "Ever since then I turned into a small black pig whenever I got splashed with cold water. Do you know how degrading it is to be some little girl's pet? To be nearly eaten alive almost every day? Can you imagine that? But then, you don't really believe me, do you?"  
  
Even Ranma winced slightly when he imagined being eaten by some fat guy.  
"Ah, sorry Ryouga, I didn't know that. "  
  
"You actually believe me?"  
  
Ranma grimaced slightly.  
"Yeah, it's hard not to, when we have a curse as well, right Shinji?"  
  
"Ranma's right. We both fell into the spring of drowned girl. Sorry Ryouga."  
  
"Don't worry; it's not your fault. It's Ranma's!" Said Ryouga with conviction  
  
That set off the other martial artist.  
"Is not!"  
"Is too!"  
"Is not!"  
"Is too!"  
"Is not!"  
"Is….."  
  
"Actually, I think it is possibly your fault, Ranma."  
Both Ranma and Ryouga looked at Shinji like he had grown a second head. Ranma did so, because his brother had never accused him of anything like that; Ryouga because he was stunned that Shinji suddenly took his side.  
"Yeah, you heard me right. Think about it Ranma. Ryouga said a red-haired girl chasing a Panda knocked him in."  
  
"So, what's that got to do with me?" Asked a bewildered Ranma.  
  
Shinji rolled his eyes.  
'And Asuka calls me dense! I wonder how somebody who can be so dense can be so insightful as well.'  
Instead of saying that, Shinji took a calming breath before speaking.  
"Ranma, how many redheads chasing a Panda do you think exist on this world? Especially at Jusenkyo? And whom do you know that turns into a redhead and a Panda"  
  
Ranma shrugged.  
"Not many, me and my po……..p" Ranma's eyes widened as it finally dawned on him.  
"Oh shit! Damn, sorry that I knocked you into that spring, Ryouga. I wasn't myself that day! "  
  
That was when it finally clicked in Ryouga's mind as well.  
"You mean to tell me you were that redhead and that Panda was your father! So it really was your fault! Ranma, prepare to die!"  
  
Before Ryouga could even begin to fight, Shinji stepped in again. Something he was doing far too often the last few days, he had observed.  
"Ryouga, stop it already! The only fight you have to pick with Ranma is the one his father dragged him away from!"  
  
"And what about my curse!" Asked an enraged Ryouga.  
  
When Shinji got a devious smile on his face, Ranma couldn't help but shudder in sympathy for Genma Saotome. His brother was not a person to show such a smile, but when he did, it usually meant a lot of trouble for his father. If he didn't know better, Ranma could have sworn it was a game between these two. Shinji would pay Genma back for the training he went through by throwing all of Genma's misdeeds back in his face, while Genma would torture him a bit more in return.  
  
Indeed, that was exactly what Shinji was currently planning.   
"Now Ryouga, think about it. Ranma's father dragged him away to China. So technically it's his fault you had to follow. You understand?"  
  
Ryouga nodded, now a little intrigued where the little squirt in front of him was going with this.   
  
"Good." continued Shinji, still smiling slightly. "Then Genma forced Ranma to train in Jusenkyo and knocked him into the spring of drowned girl. Ranma came out and was female, thinking his manhood was forever lost. How would you have reacted but to chase the one responsible in pure anger?"  
  
Ryouga nodded again. He could sympathize with Ranma there.  
"That still doesn't change the fact that he knocked me into the spring!"  
  
Shinji shook his head.  
"That's where you are wrong. You said the Panda helped knock you in. Since the girl has chased the Panda, he was the first to run into you. That means he knocked you into the spring halfway and because of him, Ranma ran into you. This means technically its Genma's fault. I hope you see now; if you have to get your revenge on somebody, it's our father, not Ranma."  
  
Ryouga took all that in and stood there a moment, dumbfounded. Then a new fire seemed to shine in his eyes.  
"Damn, you're right Shinji." Then he turned to Ranma "Sorry for accusing you of all this Ranma. That doesn't mean you're out of our match!"  
  
Ranma shrugged,"I can live with that. When do you want to have the duel?"  
  
"How about now? I can kill your father afterwards."  
  
"That's a good idea, so you can't get lost again!"  
  
"My sense of direction is not that bad! Now let's go outside so I can kick you ass!"  
  
"Hah, in your dreams!"  
  
Shinji dropped his shoulders when the two bickering teens disappeared outside. Thanks to Ranma and Genma, he had learned to stand up for himself and others a bit more, yet it was something he didn't like to do even though it was necessary. Still, he only did so with words, something the new people in his life seemed to have a lot of problems with.   
That train of thoughts led him to remember whom Ryouga was going to beat up in his quest for revenge and he couldn't help but smile.  
'Take that Genma!'  
His mood uncharacteristically cheerful Shinji followed the other two martial-artists outside to watch the fight.   
**********************  
When the last bell finally rang, Akane was out and running. After the Saotomes and the new guy had left during lunch, they hadn't turned up again, and she was starting to worry. Just a little bit, mind you!  
  
Just as she rounded another corner, somebody ran into her. When she got her bearings back, Akane came face to face with an equally dazed looking Shinji.  
"Shinji! Where the hell have you been?"  
  
Shinji shrugged.  
"We had a few things to clear up. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to catch up with Ranma and Ryouga. I swear these two can be fast when they want!"  
  
"Huh? Why? What are they doing?"  
  
Shinji answered without turning back, already running away.  
"They're fighting, and this time for real. I can't miss that!"  
  
Akane stood dumbfounded for a moment, not sure what to do. Then she ran after the younger boy, wondering how he knew where to go.  
The sound of explosions in the distance clued her in.  
  
*******************  
  
Left, right, up, down, block, dodge, punch, block, punch…….this was what he lived for. The exhilarating feeling of fighting an equal in the art. Hundreds of attacks and counters used to overcome the opponent in the heat of battle. The rush that came with the fight was all he needed right now, concentrated only on his opponent and his own movements. For once even the usual insults were discarded to fight a real battle.  
  
It's understandable that Ranma and Ryouga had lost every sense of their surroundings, navigating around and over obstacles by pure instinct. Their intense fight had moved over several blocks already, Ryouga's umbrella leaving a clear trail of destruction where they had fought.   
  
It was this trail that Shinji had followed to find both martial artists locked in an intense exchange of blows that his eyes could barely follow. Both fighters wore masks of pure concentration on their faces, even Ranma, who found out that Ryouga was a formidable opponent if he was fighting with a level head.   
The fight was rather balanced. Where Ranma had an edge in speed, Ryouga made up with pure power to shrug off connecting blows.  
  
Suddenly both of them jumped back to get a little breathing room.   
"Not bad Ryouga. You're actually giving me a little workout, not that you'll win." Ranma's trademark grin was once again in place.  
  
Instead of rising to the bait, Ryouga smirked in return.  
"I must admit for a coward you fight well Ranma, but you have yet to see my best technique!"  
  
Shinji watched with interest as Ryouga took off his bandana, only to reveal another underneath.  
"My iron-cloth technique!"   
Then Ryouga proceeded to hurl one bandana in Ranma's direction, followed shortly by another.  
  
'That's his ultimate technique?' wondered Shinji on the sidelines.  
  
Then one of the projectiles cut cleanly through a small tree, severing it in the middle.  
  
Shinji sweat dropped.  
'Okay, maybe it IS his ultimate technique, best not to come to near those.'  
  
Needless to say one poorly aimed piece of clothing found itself flying in his direction only moments afterwards.  
Shinji didn't move, seeing how it would miss him by a few meters, only to see Akane storming towards the fight--running right into the bandana's path.   
"Akane, duck!"  
  
Of course, said girl only saw a piece of clothing flying her way and looked on confused.  
  
Shinji quickly made a decision and slammed into the longhaired girl, bringing both of them to the ground.  
The piece of clothing whistled overhead  
"Phew, no harm done. That was close!" said Shinji in a tired voice   
  
A long bundle of dark blue hair, bound with a ribbon on one side, fluttered to the ground before a stunned Akane and a sweating Shinji.  
"Then again…I guess not."  
  
When Akane turned the mightiest glare of them all in his direction after looking at her own hair lying in front of her for a few minutes, Shinji decided that any more smart remarks wouldn't be such a good idea.  
"Akane-san, are you all right?" came Ryouga's concerned voice from behind the pair.  
  
With slow deliberate movements, Akane stood up and faced a concerned looking Ryouga, Ranma standing next to him with the same expression.  
"Am I all right you ask? NO! I'm not all right! Do you know how long it took to grow my hair out like this? Finally it was as long as Kasumi's and you have to ruin it, just because of your petty fights! Watch what you're doing next time around!" Akane had said the last part almost in tears and quickly turned to storm off.  
  
Needless to say Ranma and Ryouga felt extremely guilty now, something both couldn't live with very well.  
"Uhm, Akane-san, if it makes you feel better, you can hit me…even though it was Ranma's fault."  
"Yeah, Akane, if you want to hit something, hit me…even though it was Ryouga's fault."  
  
*smack*  
*smack*  
  
Ranma and Ryouga watched with a bright cheek each as a huffing Akane walked away from the park.  
"Easily pleased, ain't she?" asked a stunned Ranma  
"Yeah, and she packs quite a wallop too!" Said an equally stunned Ryouga, their fight now totally forgotten.  
  
Shinji dusted himself off and frowned. Normally he would have laughed at the faces these two were making, but something about Akane's words bothered him, not to mention the situation leading to this wasn't exactly funny.  
"I would suggest you two apologize to Akane. And next time watch where you're throwing these bandanas, Ryouga. A bystander could be severely injured."   
  
Strangely enough Ranma and Ryouga found themselves nodding to Shinji's request, both wilting under the intense glare he gave them, especially Ryouga. Then the youth simply turned and walked home, leaving both of them standing there.   
  
Ryouga looked confused for a moment and when Shinji was out of earshot, he spoke to Ranma.  
"Say, Ranma. How the hell does your brother do it? I mean, damn, I felt my hair standing on edge when he looked at us like that"  
  
Ranma shrugged  
"Don't have a clue, maybe it's something that runs in the family? (3) One thing is for sure, though, he's scary like that!"  
  
Ryouga nodded.  
"Yeah, you can say that again. Hopefully he doesn't do that often, might give me a heart-attack or something."  
  
The other youth contemplated that for a moment; going over the times his brother had done this  
"Actually, he doesn't do it that often. Only if he's really pissed. When he's like that, take his advice, it's very useful most of the time."  
  
Ryouga nodded, believing his ex-nemesis without a shadow of doubt. Akane-san could have been hurt very much by his carelessness, after all.  
"I'll keep that in mind; I think we should go back now. We really should apologize to Akane-san. I don't want her to be angry with me."  
  
"Me neither, she can be bad-tempered at times."  
  
Moments later both youths were roof hopping back to the dojo.  
In the now deserted park a lone tree toppled over.  
  
**************  
  
After Ranma and Ryouga returned to the Tendo dojo, they found out from Kasumi that Akane got a new haircut from her. Her statement was also accompanied by a small frown, which was as near as Kasumi came to swearing. Right now Ryouga and Ranma were standing nervously before Akane's door, Shinji leaning against the opposite wall with a neutral expression and wondering when they would finally have the guts to apologize.(4)  
"You knock!" urged Ranma  
  
"No, you knock!" shot Ryouga back  
"No you!"  
"No you!"  
"No you!"  
"No you!"  
  
*knock*  
Both gave Shinji incredulous looks as the youth retracted his hand.  
"What? At this rate you'd never go in."  
  
"Come in!" came Akane's muffled voice through the door.  
  
Ranma and Ryouga glanced uncertainly at each other, before Ranma opened the door to allow both of them entrance.  
  
When Akane spotted them her mood darkened instantly.  
"What do you idiots want?" she asked harshly.  
  
Ranma twiddled his fingers and suddenly found a spot on the floor quite interesting to look at.  
"I…we…came..to.ah...you know.like…we'rereallysorryforwhatwedidtodayandwantedtoapaologizeagain!"  
  
Needless to say Akane understood nothing at the rate Ranma was talking.  
"Huh?"  
  
Now Ryouga tried his luck.  
"Ranma said, we wanted to apologize again…for cutting your hair off."   
  
Akane smiled a little bit.  
"It's all right; keeping my hair that long was silly anyway. Just watch what you're doing the next time, okay?"  
  
"Sure"   
  
The next moment both boys were out the door again and it slammed shut. Akane blinked.   
  
The door opened again and Ranma stuck his head in.  
"By the way, I like your new cut better."   
  
Before Akane could react the door shut again, leaving her with a warm feeling inside.  
'He liked it!'  
As she noticed where her thoughts were drifting, Akane quickly shook her head.  
"Why would I care what that jerk thinks anyway?"  
  
Further contemplation on her part was stopped by a cry of 'GENMA SAOTOME, FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME, PREPARE TO DIE' from downstairs.  
  
******************  
  
When Ranma and Ryouga stood safely in the hall, they looked at Shinji with a dangerous look in their eyes, making the poor boy swallow hard.  
'This doesn't look good!' thought Shinji with a feeling of dread.  
  
Ranma smirked at his brother  
"Me and my buddy Ryouga decided to pay you back for your kindness today. That's why Ryouga will start training you whenever he is around."  
  
Shinji cringed. Training with Ranma alone was pure torture. He did not want to know how training with both of them would be like.  
"Ah…you don't have to do that Ryouga-san. I wouldn't want to impose on you, after all."  
  
Ryouga smirked.  
"You're not going to get out of this one Shinji. Now let's get going." He grabbed Shinji's wrist, dragging the smaller boy forcefully down the stairs.  
  
When they entered the living room, Ryouga stopped abruptly as his eyes focused upon one freshly returned Genma Saotome.   
"Ranma, train Shinji alone for a while…..I…have something to do." Then Ryouga drew his combat umbrella and charged an unsuspecting Genma, sending the older man out the open door and into the lawn with a mighty swing. Soun sat frozen at the shogi-board for a moment…… before quickly rearranging all the pieces.  
  
Shinji grinned, his own bleak future forgotten, as Ryouga rushed out into the open while screaming, "GENMA SAOTOME, FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME, PREPARE TO DIE!" at the top of his lungs.  
  
As Shinji and Ranma walked to the dojo they heard Genma's cries of mercy all the way.   
"You know Ranma, I like this Ryouga."  
  
"Ah, no, wait, can't we talk about…….aaahhhhhH!!!!!!!"  
  
Ranma shut the door to the dojo and smirked.  
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Anyway, thanks for convincing Ryouga it was Pop's fault."  
  
"It was Father's fault Ranma. Ryouga was just a little misguided."  
  
"Anyway, that doesn't mean you're going to get away with no training today. We'll start easy: I want 150 pushups to warm you up."  
  
Shinji groaned and started doing as his older brother said.  
  
*****************  
  
Later that evening  
  
Everybody, save Genma who was still out cold outside, was gathered around the dinner table, even Ryouga. It seemed Kasumi had the foresight to make an extra portion for the young man and had even prepared a futon for him to sleep at the Tendos that night.   
  
Nabiki, being ever curious, didn't ignore the beating Genma got like the rest of her family. She wanted to know what was going on. This Ryouga had to have quite a grudge, judging from the beating Genma had gotten.  
"So, tell me Ryouga. What did Genma do to you? It must have been quite bad."  
  
Ryouga looked nervous.  
"Ahh...it's really embarrassing…I don't like talking about it."  
  
Next to Ryouga, a groan was heard from the mass of abused flesh that once resembled Shinji.  
"Ranma….will you please explain this to them? …I'm…too tired…" That said Shinji promptly passed out on the floor.  
  
Ranma sweat dropped when everybody looked at Shinji oddly.  
"Okay…so maybe me an' Ryouga overdid it a little bit."   
  
Nabiki shrugged it off. How anybody could force their body through this torture was beyond her anyway.  
"What does he want you to explain, Saotome?"  
  
Ranma shrugged.  
"He wants me to tell you that Ryouga here has a curse as well."  
  
"Ranma! You can't tell them about this! It's far too embarrassing!"   
  
Ranma simply ignored Ryouga's outburst.  
"He turns into a small black piglet."  
  
"Really? That's interesting. Let's test it." Before either of them could react, Ranma and Ryouga were splashed by a glass of cold water hastily thrown by Nabiki. Shinji got wet as well, but she simply continued sleeping.  
  
Ranma-chan looked on as a small piglet squirmed its way out of Ryouga's clothing.  
She picked it up by the bandana that was fastened around its neck and lifted it up for all to see.  
"That's the little critter."  
  
Akane looked at the small pig warmly.  
"He looks so cute like that. Can I hold him?"   
  
Ranma handed her the protesting pig and watched in amusement as Akane pressed it to her bosom, which caused the poor pig to pass out from a nosebleed. Then she was hit by a wave of jealousy and wondered why the hell she should be jealous of Ryouga being pressed into that uncute tomboy's bosom.  
  
Nabiki looked at the little pig curiously, before she gave Ranma a condescending smirk.  
"Well, he is weird enough to be a friend of yours."  
  
For once Ranma decided to do the right thing and didn't comment. Instead she focused on Akane.   
'This is going to be fun!'  
"Hey, Akane. You are aware that is Ryouga you're holding there, right?"  
  
Akane looked at Ranma, then down at the small pig. You could practically see the gears shifting in her brain as her expression changed from confused to shocked and embarrassed only to settle at anger in the end.  
"YOU….YOU PERVERT!"  
Was all she said as she punted the small pig across the room. Fortunately for Ryouga, he didn't feel the impact with the wall since he was already unconscious.  
  
Ranma wisely decided not to tell Akane that she had put the small pig to her bosom in the first place.  
Shinji continued snoring, oblivious of her surroundings and just happy to be able to sleep.   
  
And so another eventful day passed in Nerima as two teenagers who had met at Jusenkyo tried to overcome the obstacle of trying to live a normal life.   
Not that it was going to help…………  
End chapter 4  
  
  
Author's notes:  
(1) Now most of you will say: huh? Shinji doing that? Never! Well, think about it. In the show Shinji always helped when Asuka or Rei were in grave danger and he hated any kind of unnecessary violence. Now he comes into a world without EVA and angels were everybody should be happy, yet he sees somebody trying to kill his brother and he thinks: What the fuck! They have no angels, so they kill each other instead of letting the angels do it! I think he wouldn't like that one bit. Shinji takes these kinds of things very serious, so…I think it is possible. The slight push to actually get him to do it is provided by Ranma having grown on him and the last six weeks spend together. (backbone welcome)  
(2) Then again, Ranma isn't exactly the best person to calm someone down, is he?  
(3) Gendo would be proud of Shinji, wouldn't he?  
(4) Hey, if Shinji is master in one thing, it's apologizing, isn't it?  
Finally! Another chapter out. This one took quite a bit longer than usual, since I had a lot to do as of late. The writer's block I experienced as I tried to write the first fight between Ranma and Ryouga didn't help either.Anyway, I will just shut up now. Hope you liked it. Please drop me a line to tell me what you think.  
  
PS: You know, it feels good to have something blow up in Genma's face for once.   
  
I would like to thank my pre-readers Guncannon and Ranshin for making this readable. You should do that as well, because otherwise you would have hurt your eyes by reading my original draft. Thanks Guys!  
  
And Finally I have a little OMAKE written by one of my readers and pre-readers: kuracao. READ IT NOW! and tell him what you think at kuracao@club-internet.fr   
Now OMAKE time:  
  
Urd's office, somewhere in Heaven…  
  
You can find a very desperate Urd…  
Belldandy enteres the office looking for her sibling.  
"Not a word Belldandy, with this new development about the file of Ranma Saotome, I can say goodbye to my goddess status…"  
"Why?"  
The mentioned file appears above Urd's desk:  
"16 years ago, Nodoka Saotome has made a wish and I quote:' I wish that ALL my sons, present or future, will   
be MANLY… 6 week ago GENMA SAOTOME has adopted SHINJI IKARI… you follow me, Bell?"  
"And something even more interesting is the definition of MANLY from Nodoka Saotome, I need to ask some advice from Freya for this case."  
Belldandy pales seriously.  
"But Shinji Ikari is not from this world… How come Yggdrasil didn't warn us?  
"Fifty to one that Eva 01 has jammed his appearance…"  
Urd leans back in her chair.  
"Peorth has already compiled the new file on Shinji Ikari and now I just need to find a way for this kid to be a part of this world and BE MANLY!"  
Belldandy sighed and looked again the new file.  
"And the three emails attached?"  
"The cherry on the ice cream… First, Sailor Pluto warning me that if the little kid becomes a threat to Crystal Tokyo… he will be eliminated. Second, Washu wants Shinji for some 'experiments' and last but not the least, a warning from Skuld about Akio Ohtori taking an interest for Shinji for being a potential duelist…"  
Urd massaged her temple when the face of Heimdall popped out of nowhere near the hologram.  
"Urd, I have a visitor for you" Behind him, you can hear the granddaddy of all knocks.  
"I don't expect anybody Heimdall"  
"YES, I know but this 'visitor' has sent All the Valkyries to the nurse office and doesn't take no for an answer…"  
"Can you describe my visitor?"  
"Yes, she is BIG, PURPLE AND WANTS TO SPEAK ABOUT HER SON!"  
"Ok I come…"  
Urd stands up and walk to the door.  
"Wish me luck, Bell. I will need it"  
"Oh my…" 


	6. SS5 The Black Rose

Chapter 5 - the Black Rose   
  
*clong*  
"Ouch!"  
"Dammit, why does this have to be so hard?" wondered a slightly frustrated Akane Tendo as she traded her clubs in for a hoop.   
  
When the gymnastic martial arts club from her school had asked her to compete against St. Hebereke Akane had agreed instantly. Now some might wonder why the club members didn't fight themselves. It seemed the number one gymnast Kodachi Kuno, also called the Black Rose had a bad habit of taking her competitors out of commission before the real match to win it by default. Up till now this tactic had worked very well, leaving St. Hebereke undefeated.  
  
Hearing this Akane immediately thought herself the right person to break that record.   
  
That was before she started training.   
  
She had now gone through nearly all of the weapons available for this kind of fight and had yet to find a single one she could use without hurting herself in the process.  
  
Akane threw the hoop into the air, first wanting to get a little feeling for it.   
Unfortunately she misjudged its path and it hit her square on the head instead of coming down by her side.  
"Ouch!"  
"Akane-san, what are you doing?"   
  
Akane whirled around to face the door, startled by the intrusion, to see Shinji standing there, looking as shy as always.  
"Oh, you mean that?" She asked while lifting the hoop. "I have to compete against St. Hebereke in gymnastic martial arts on behalf of our school, because our team is out of commission."  
  
"Huh, how come the whole team is out?" asked a slightly confused Shinji.  
  
Akane's face darkened.  
"Because the one I'm going to fight likes to take her competition out before the fight, winning it by default. Hah, I'll show this Black Rose that no one messes with me!"  
  
Shinji sweat dropped. Akane was a little bit too sure of herself, judging from her performance.   
"Uhm…Akane-san…how long do you have to train?"  
"Only a week…..*sigh*….damn, who am I kidding? There's no way I'll be ready till then at this rate!"  
  
"Maybe you could get Ranma to train you?" asked Shinji helpfully.  
  
"Hah! That jerk hasn't got a clue about this; he would just make fun of me anyway." Akane promptly shot his proposal down.  
"Now, what are you doing here Shinji?"  
  
"I came here to train alone. Ranma said he and Ryouga want to 'beat the crap out of each other' again, since their last fight was interrupted. He also said he would check to see if I worked out when he came back today. If I don't he'll up my training some more….slave driver. "  
Shinji paused a moment and gestured at the various equipment strewn about.  
"But since a challenge is more important I'll leave you alone to train."  
  
"Wait....Maybe we could train together? I'm sure I would learn a lot more when training with someone."  
  
Shinji stopped as he heard Akane's timid request.  
"Uhm…sure I could train with you…but I've never done anything like that, so don't expect too much."   
  
Akane smiled, something not seen very often, at least in the presence of males.  
"Thanks, Shinji."  
  
"No problem, Akane. Now, could you explain the rules to me?"  
  
"They're rather easy. You're not allowed to hit your adversary with anything but your appointed weapons…that means no punches, kicks or other bodily contact. That's all there is to it, you can only use hoops, ribbons and clubs to hit your enemy."  
  
Shinji blinked.  
"……Okay, I think that could pose a problem, since all the attacks we know are rendered ineffective unless we modify them for fighting with weapons. We have a lot of work to do if you want to be fit for this match. Where should we start?"   
  
Akane threw three clubs at him, which he caught.  
"We'll start with these. I'm sure with you as a partner I can get good enough."  
Somehow Shinji couldn't share that optimism as he started juggling his clubs and one promptly hit his head.  
'I have a bad feeling about this….'  
  
******************  
  
3 hours later  
  
Shinji winced as the bad feeling he had three hours prior was once again proven correct as Akane managed to get tangled up in her own ribbon.  
Right now Shinji was really astounded at just how clumsy Akane really was.  
  
Not that he would ever say that too her face, that would be impolite.  
'…and she would knock me out' he added silently as he helped a frustrated Akane to get out of her self made prison.  
"Akane, why don't we stop for now and wait for Ryouga and Ranma. I'm sure that would help."  
  
Akane glared at him and he cowered back instinctively.  
"I will NOT wait for these two. If you can get this down I can do so as well!"  
  
Shinji winced again as he remembered that it took him only an hour to get a feeling for the equipment, which left Akane angry with him. It was just like the whole Asuka episode all over: Just because he was better at something people got angry with him. He couldn't really understand that, especially since it was only dumb luck anyway.  
However, knowing that he couldn't change her mind and that Akane wasn't very far from blowing up on him Shinji decided to leave the girl alone for now.  
"Ok. I'll go and help Kasumi to prepare dinner."  
  
The girl huffed.  
"Sure, why don't you just go and leave me alone. I can understand that Mr. Perfect doesn't want anything to do with me!"   
  
Shinji ignored her comment, his face filled with sadness…and determination.  
'So much anger….just like Asuka…it should not be like this…maybe I can help….this time'  
  
****************  
  
Shinji walked into the kitchen with a thoughtful expression and absently asked if Kasumi had anything to do for him.  
  
Kasumi smiled radiantly, as always.  
"Right now I don't need your help Shinji-kun."  
Then she noticed the absentminded expression on the young boys face.   
"Shinji-kun? You seem to have something on your mind."  
  
Shinji snapped out of it and nodded.  
"Yeah…you could say that."  
  
"Then let's have a seat, maybe I can help with your problem."  
  
Shinji took the seat opposite of Kasumi on the small kitchen table.  
Ignoring the food cooking on the stove for now he looked at the eldest Tendo-sister seriously.  
Up to that point she had always treated him kindly, and he had to admit he liked her very much. Basically they had become instant friends, something that Shinji, being as taciturn as he normally was, couldn't quite comprehend.  
He really didn't want her to take what he had to ask the wrong way.  
"I do not want to insult your sister, Kasumi-san, but…could you tell me why she is always so angry?"  
  
Kasumi smiled at the boy reassuringly, knowing the temper of her younger sister the question was a valid one.  
"You're not insulting her Shinji-kun. She has quite a temper that is true. But why do you want to know?"  
  
Shinji's face showed clearly that he was warring with himself as he tried to decide whether to answer or not. As his inner conflict finally settled only determination and a deep hidden sadness could be seen in his eyes.   
"I…once knew somebody who was angry very often, just like Akane. She was very prideful…but I think she was just hiding something behind that façade. I was blind back then, not seeing her anger at me for the warning that it was."  
Then his voice took on a regretful and even sadder tone. Kasumi thought she saw some tears shimmering in his eyes.  
"Kasumi, she became angry more and more often….and last I have seen her I think she was well on her way to destroy herself by doing something in a fit of rage she would have regretted later on."  
  
Kasumi's eyes widened as the boy told his little tale, making the connections to her little sister herself.  
  
Shinji didn't notice and continued on, his voice now growing firm.  
"But I was really scared back then …and I had enough problems of my own. In hindsight it was rather selfish of me to simply take what she dished out and not once question why she did it. That has changed now, thanks to Ranma. It's really surprising what training with him and his father can do for a person, but that's not the point. I want to help Akane… before she starts down the same path as Asuka. For that I need help Kasumi-san, your help. I'm not strong nor understanding enough to do something like that myself. That's why I need you to give me some idea of what is going on with Akane."  
  
Kasumi sat in silence for a while. For someone of his age Shinji had just given her quite an issue to solve. In truth it surprised her that he actually thought of these things. Seeing how serious he was Kasumi didn't even think about not helping him. Besides, Kasumi had noticed Akane's tendency to violence in the past and she didn't like it. Who knew, maybe this serious young boy before her could really help her little sister mellow out?  
"Don't worry Shinji-kun, I'll try to help you."  
  
"Thanks, Kasumi-san."  
  
"She is my own sister; of course I want to help her to prevent from doing what this person you knew did. You don't have to thank me Shinji-kun. If anything I thank you for trying this. Now let me think for a moment…."  
The well-being of her family and those living under the same roof in mind Kasumi remembered back to her own hurtful past, to the first years after their mother had died.  
She closed her eyes to banish all unpleasant thoughts to tell Shinji what he had to know.  
"You have probably wondered what happened to our mother, didn't you?"  
  
Shinji nodded.  
  
"She died nearly 10 years ago because of a car accident. Her death hit all of us pretty hard. Daddy broke down totally. He stopped teaching and didn't care about anything anymore……….that left the three of us to cope with her death alone. Each of us had her own way: Me, I was the oldest daughter and I wanted to make sure my family was all right, so I took over all the chores, while still going to school. It was hard, but it helped forget and someone had to do it to give the others hold."  
  
Kasumi paused a moment to collect herself, and missed Shinji's frown.  
"However, with daddy not working our money would have run out rather quickly, that's why Nabiki started to bring in money by charging fees for information, favors and photos. It was also her way to shield herself…I think. It helped her forget as well, just like me. That left both of us with something to do, something we were good at, something that helped our family."  
  
Again, Shinji frowned slightly. If Nabiki was bringing in all the money, then the budget couldn't possible handle the Saotome's prolonged stay. Filing that information away for later Shinji concentrated on Kasumi's words.  
  
"And that's where Akane comes in. She was the youngest when mother died. Only six years old. With us sustaining the family she had to find something else to be the best in. Seeing how daddy had stopped training she wanted to carry on the school. Of course, training yourself doesn't help to forget as good as sustaining a family. I think she is still not over mother's death yet. Maybe she feels the need to prove herself by being the best at something? You and Ranma pretty much took her title of best martial artist from her, Shinji. That probably left her with a sense of failure and now she gets angry more often because she doesn't live up to what she has set for herself."   
  
Kasumi paused to see if she missed something and came up blank   
"Mind you, that's all just second-guessing Shinji-kun. Anyway, that's all I can tell you."  
  
Said boy could only nod dumbly. Kasumi had just stuffed his head full of information like no ones business, and frankly, he was a bit shocked anybody could understand another human being as good as Kasumi had just shown she did.  
He didn't show it, but he planned to give Soun the beating of his life. For any adult to break down in such a situation so his children had to take care of themselves and him was…Inexcusable. Even his own biological father, bastard that he was, wasn't that irresponsible! At least Gendo gave him to his aunt and uncle, not to mention that he had a mega powerful organization to run. To think Kasumi took care of all the chores at age nine…Shinji could only marvel at her strength of character.  
  
Shinji was just about to ask another question when both of them suddenly heard the distinct sound of something overcooking and Kasumi jumped out of her chair immediately to save dinner.  
"Oh my! If you could help me with that Shinji-kun? It seems we have forgotten the time."  
  
Shinji nodded and helped clean up the mess. Once both of them had brought order into the kitchen once more, Shinji broke his last query to the as of now second most trusted person in his current life.  
"Kasumi? You said Akane becomes angry because she doesn't live up to her own expectations. Then how come she always takes out her anger on others, namely Ranma and sometimes me?"  
  
Kasumi once again lost the recently replaced smile as she contemplated that question.  
"Honestly…I do not know Shinji-kun. Maybe it's her way of coping with failure…blaming you two instead of herself? Let us not talk about this anymore Shinji-kun. I have had enough bad memories for one day and I am sure you have as well."  
  
"Yeah. You're probably right. We should concentrate on cooking now…don't want the master cooks delicious meal go to waste. And thanks again for figuring your sister out, I'm not exactly good at this kind of stuff."  
  
Kasumi smiled, really smiled, catching the implied compliment.   
They spent the rest of the time in silence, strangely at ease in each others presence. While Shinji thought of the previous talk, Kasumi contemplated the young person next to her.  
'For somebody who doesn't know how to figure other people out you sure know how to make their day a little brighter Shinji-kun. Stay that way…'  
  
***********************  
  
Ranma and Ryuoga were limping their way back to the Tendo-dojo, both of them looking like death warmed over.  
  
Fighting all out for two hours straight does that to a person. Both were covered with a multitude of bruises and cuts.  
  
Ryouga grunted in pain as he tried to talk  
"Argh…Next time I challenge you to a fight, please send me to hell Ranma… I still can't believe we fought that long."   
  
Ranma nodded.  
"I know what you mean man. The same goes for me."  
Normally Ranma would have continued with something like 'nonetheless I won the match pig-boy', but being together with Shinji these past six weeks had clued him in to the fact that playing down one's victory assured that the loser didn't hold a grudge….besides, it was a very close call. In fact, Ranma's knockout blow lead to Ryouga's battle umbrella connecting with his left leg, which was even now hurting like hell.   
So instead he opted to say:  
"I must admit, I'm impressed Ryuoga. I never had to go to such lengths to win a match."  
  
Ryuoga smirked, which looked quite silly with his bruised lip.  
"Hah, just you wait Saotome! Next time I'll be the one left standing!"   
  
"Ryuoga, remember what you said moments ago?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, right…forget about it. Oh look, we're already here!"  
  
"Right, now let's check if Shinji's still training. Afterwards we can eat and hit the sack."  
What greeted them when staggering into the dojo was quite…different from what they were expecting. Shinji was nowhere in sight. In his place was Akane, lying on the floor tangled up in what must have been a ribbon.  
  
Needless to say Ranma started laughing like crazy right away.  
"The tomboy can't get anything right!  
  
Ryuoga opted to stay silent, although he had problems holding his laugher in.   
She was looking rather funny like that.   
  
Akane growled.  
"Will you two stop standing there and get me out of this mess?!"  
  
Ranma didn't hear her and kept laughing, which left Ryuoga to open her bonds (Akane tm).  
The moment she was free Akane stalked towards a still laughing Ranma, mallet-sama in hand.  
  
*smash*  
One mallet-use later the dojo was filled with silence, a very pained Ranma quietly moaning on the floor.  
"Dammit you sexless tomboy, do you have to hit so hard?"  
  
Akane snorted.  
"You deserved it! Why can't you be as understanding as Ryuoga here? I have to prepare for a challenge in gymnastic martial arts and all you do is laugh at me. That's so…YOU!"  
  
A now standing Ranma glared at Akane.  
"That's still no reason to get violent! Anyway, what's that about a challenge? And where is Shinji? He should be training, not lazing off somewhere!"  
  
Akane told them what she had said to Shinji and added a heavy dose of anger to her voice when she informed them, that 'Mr. Perfect has already left because he was sick of waiting for her to get the basics down.'  
  
"I could train you, if you let me. I know quite a bit about this."  
  
Both Ranma and Akane looked at Ryuoga in surprise.  
"Where did you learn THAT?"  
"You can really teach me?"  
  
Ryuoga opted to ignore Ranma's query and instead concentrated on Akane.  
"Yeah, If you want me to."  
  
Akane nodded happily.  
"Thanks Ryuoga! Can we start right away?"  
  
"Of course, Akane."  
  
"Hey Ryuoga, Can you handle another student?"  
  
Ryuoga looked at Ranma confused.  
"Huh? You want me to teach you as well?"  
  
Ranma snorted.  
"As if. I meant Shinji. He hasn't done his daily routine yet" Ranma smirked "and there's no way I'm gonna let him out of it just because Akane is using the dojo."  
  
Now Ryuoga smirked as well.  
"Of course I can take on another student. Why don't you go and fetch him, don't want to him to miss anything, right?"   
  
**************  
  
At the same time in the Tendo kitchen.  
  
As he waited for Kasumi to call everybody for dinner, Shinji felt the hair on his back standing on edge and couldn't help but think that something just went very, VERY wrong.  
  
***************  
  
4 days later  
  
Akane lay down in her bed after a day of hard training…only to jump out again as she saw Kodachi Kuno flying towards her with a huge mallet in hand.  
  
As her bed broke under the force of impact Akane took up a stance.  
"What are you doing in my room?!"  
  
Kodachi, clad in her trademark leotard, smiled sweetly.   
"Why, I am only trying to settle our match next week in all fairness…TODAY!"  
Without further warning the slightly deranged girl threw a club at Akane and her ribbon flashed out.  
  
Akane dodged both by tucking herself into a roll to come up before her opponent.  
Her punches were easily evaded as Kodachi sailed overhead.  
  
Instead of attacking again Kodachi smiled again.  
"Akane Tendo. It seems your reputation is earned. You shall fall before the grace of the Black Rose of St. Hebereke nonetheless! We will meet again!"  
  
Just as Kodachi disappeared out the window Soun burst into the room  
"Are you alright Akane? I heard sounds coming from your room…I…Who did this! Who attacked my baby?!"  
  
Akane tried calming her father down.  
"It's alright daddy, nothing happened, right?"  
  
Needless to say, her efforts to calm Soun down were doomed.   
  
********************  
  
Up on the roof Shinji and Ranma were looking at the stars, when somebody suddenly landed lightly on the ledge above Akane's window. The person proceeded to bound over the roof.  
  
Did I mention that some of the tiles were loose?  
  
Suddenly the strange girl in leotard slipped and fell off the roof.  
Before Shinji could even begin to react Ranma was already moving.  
  
The pigtailed martial artist swung down and caught the girl in his arms, before they hit the ground. With a powerful leap Ranma pushed them away from the house wall to lessen the impact. He quickly redirected his jump on a tree and landed safely on the roof, right in front of Shinji.  
"You all right?" he asked concerned.  
  
The girl didn't release the grip around his neck but looked at him dreamily.  
"Thank you for saving me. I am Kodachi Kuno, the Black Rose of St.Hebereke. May I know your name?"  
  
Ranma shrugged, quickly getting over the shock of seeing Akane's future opponent.  
"Sure. I am Ranma Saotome, heir of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."  
  
Before Ranma could react he found himself on his back, lying on the roof.  
"I am truly thankful Ranma-sama! Please, accept my love and let us consummate our relationship. Take this rose as a gift."  
  
Watching on the sidelines Shinji watched incredulously.  
'That girl sure is fast moving.'   
  
Ranma took the rose reluctantly and inhaled its scent, only to be hit in the face by some kind of powder, inhaling it in the process. Wanting to get the substance out of his face he tried to move, only to find himself paralyzed.  
"What the hell did you do?"   
  
"Do not worry yourself Ranma-sama, I will do all the work."  
  
Ranma watched in horror as the girl started working to open his pants.  
"Will you stop that? Dammit, I can't move!" Then Ranma became aware of his brother sitting there in stunned silence. "Shinji! Stop her! This girl is crazy!"  
  
Shinji nodded and stood up. He put a hand on Kodachi's shoulder to get the girl's attention.  
  
Kodachi's head snapped up immediately when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her Ranma-sama should have been unable to move, which meant someone else was there.  
She found herself looking at a boy that was looking one, maybe two years younger than her. Needless to say she was annoyed with the little guy for interrupting her interlude with Ranma.  
"What do you want peasant? If you have not noticed, I am very busy right now! Now be gone and mind your own business."  
  
Shinji frowned slightly. This Kodachi Kuno had the same self-righteous attitude like her brother Kuno and he didn't like it one bit. Obviously Nerima had a lot of loonies running around. Normally he would have been intimidated by her words, but even he didn't take loonies for full.   
"Excuse me, Miss Kuno, but I do believe it is my own business if you try to violate my own brother on the roof of our hosts. Don't you think? I would appreciate it if you let go of my brother immediately."  
  
When she heard who the young boy before her was Kodachi schooled her features into a cool mask. Obviously this person was only trying to deny his own brother the pleasures of love.  
"Never! I will not leave him just because you are jealous of our newfound love."  
Kodachi easily ignored Ranma's protest to the contrary.  
  
Shinji quickly dodged the bunch of Black Roses the girl flung his way, having seen them in action on his brother.  
'Just like her brother. No reason, all violence' he thought sadly and rushed the girl.  
  
Kodachi, seeing how she wasn't going to get some time alone with Ranma tonight jumped back to avoid Shinji's attack and ran away into the night, laughing maniacally  
"HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA…:"  
  
Ranma watched the girl disappear in the distance and sighed.  
"Damn, I wonder who's more insane, Kuno or his sister." He said jokingly  
  
Shinji didn't find this as humorous and kept silent. He couldn't help but ask the silent question: 'What happened to make them like this?'  
  
*************  
  
The next day  
  
Akane, the Saotome brothers and Ryuoga, who was also attending Furinkan while he was around, were walking out of the school gates, happy to have finished another boring day at school.  
  
Suddenly a shower of Black Rose petals was raining down on the school-grounds, confusing the heck out of everybody.  
  
"What is that?" asked a bewildered Ranma.  
  
To answer his question Kuno came to his side, for once not death-set on killing his newly appointed arch-enemy.   
"That, foul sorcerer Saotome, is the great entrance of my slightly deranged and misguided sister."  
  
Kuno hadn't even finished his little speech before his sister appeared, standing before a cautious Akane.  
"So we meet again harlot! My brother has told me all about this unholy union between my darling Ranma and one of your kin! I will not allow that. This is why I came here. If you are woman enough, then you will give him to me, when you lose the fight!"  
  
Akane, being as stubborn as always was quick to agree.  
"It's a deal." She said through clenched teeth. "I will pound you into the ground little prissy!"  
  
In the background Ranma looked on shocked.  
"Hey, now wait a moment! Don't I have a say in this?"  
  
"NO!" The two girls' outburst left Ranma's pigtail standing straight up, not that they were noticing, what with being busy throwing insults at each other.  
  
Next to his brother Shinji was already trying to find a way to stop this unfolding insanity. It seemed trying to solve his brother's problems was becoming a habit for him, with a stress on trying. He wondered what that said about Ranma's life.  
Then he caught sight of Kuno, who was watching the proceedings calmly, a state the kendoist had never been in since Shinji met him…at least when conscious. Knowing how Kuno reacted to Ranma's name alone Shinji decided on a course of action.  
'let someone else solve this one for us.'  
"Kuno-sempai, how can you allow this travesty? Surely you do not want your own sister to fall for my evil brother's magic?"  
  
Tatewaki smirked down at Shinji contemptuously.  
"Why should I stop my sister? She has always had a rather strange taste. The foul Saotome would fit her perfectly." Then Kuno's eyes got all dreamy " My deranged sisters sacrifice will help free my fierce tigress Akane Tendo from his evil clutches and even though I would hate to see the beauteous Akane lose to my sister, it has to be like this for her own good. Only I can shower her with the glorious affection she needs."  
  
Shinji could only sweat drop. For someone who was posing as a Samurai he sure had a strange logic. He wanted to see his sister come together with someone he thought lower than dirt and he wanted to have the girl he supposedly loved beaten to the ground so he could date her. If he weren't such a loony Shinji probably would have called him a self-centered bastard.  
As it was he viewed him as a crazy self-centered bastard.  
For just one moment Shinji wanted to tell Kuno that he would still be left in the picture, but he quickly decided against it when he remembered just what Kuno did to guys that were in his way.   
  
Meanwhile the argument between Akane and Kodachi was reaching another climax.  
The Black Rose had a predatory look on her face that was directed at the little pest who had interrupted her little get together with her darling-Ranma from the night before  
"So you believe yourself so much better then me Akane Tendo? Tell you what. If you are that confident in your abilities surely you do not mind adding my darlings annoying little brother as a prize for the victory?"  
  
Akane simply nodded, not even realizing what she was doing in her rage.  
" Yeah, sure. We'll do that. Not that it matters anyway."  
  
Suddenly Kodachi broke out into a grin.  
"Good to hear that. I'm sure he'll make a nice dinner for my little pet. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…."  
  
A shower of rose-petals later Kodachi was gone, leaving a seething Akane and two very stunned Saotomes behind.   
Shinji's jaw hit the floor.  
'Did she just say I'll be her pet's dinner? This isn't supposed to happen to me! These kinds of things are Ranma's forte!'  
  
Ranma, who had recovered a lot faster than Shinji started grinning as he started dragging the dazed boy away.  
"Hah, seems like we're together in this one bro!"  
  
Ryuoga, who hadn't said one word the entire time, couldn't help but chuckle.  
"You know Ranma, it really sucks to be you…or your brother for that matter!"  
  
Ranma glared at the lost boy.  
"Oh, will you just shut up! And try to take Akane on a little bit harder in training today…I don't even want to think about the consequences if she looses."   
  
**************  
  
Later that day – Tendo training hall  
  
Akane danced through the training hall with grace and speed as she twirled her ribbon and fought an imagined opponent.   
  
That would have been the impression the untrained eye would have had, if it weren't for the fact that Shinji was doing the same thing with a lot more grace and complex moves.  
  
Over the last days it became painfully obvious that Shinji was by far the better learner. That may have had something to do with the fact that Akane expected to get everything right the first time, which led to frustration, which in turn led to her becoming unfocused.  
Shinji on the other hand had a lot of patience. He seemed to take initial failure as granted, even though that wasn't the chase.  
  
Add to that the fact, that Ryuoga couldn't say an unkind word to Akane if his life depended on it and that he was training Shinji all the harder for it and you get the current situation:  
Akane was just now moving to more complex moves, while Shinji was already perfecting them.  
  
Currently Ryuoga and Ranma were watching the other two performing their katas.  
When Akane wound down first Ryuoga walked over to her, intent on giving her a few pointers.  
  
"So, how did I do?"   
  
The hopeful expression Akane had quickly erased all his notions of giving her pointers.  
"…Very well… Akane.I don't see…too many problems?"  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes.  
"Oh get a grip on yourself, Ryuoga." Then addressing Akane " In truth, your performance sucked big time. Your movements are too erratic, you're too slow and a lot of your moves weren't timed right."  
  
Akane's face darkened considerably.  
"What would a jerk like you know anyway? Ryuoga is the one training me, not you!"  
  
"Uhm..Akane..you know…he may have a point." Said Ryuoga quite timidly. Seeing how Akane's expression darkened even more, he made warding gestures with his hands.  
"I…mean…not that you're bad or anything, but just look at Shinji over there."  
  
Akane did as he said and watched the boy for a moment. Once again little perfect Shinji outmatched her! The nerve of the kid: First he beats her in hand-to-hand combat, then he shows her up in a new martial art. All she wanted to do was to pound him flat for doing this to her…but her roaring fire of rage was dosed by a cold realization:   
  
She wasn't good enough, that was all there was to it. As Shinji performed an extra flashy move Akane's aura flared.  
'I will be damned, if I give up! I'll show them what I can do!'  
"Ryuoga!" Said boy flinched from the force of her voice. "You will train me for real now, until I have this down, is that clear?"  
  
Ranma slowly edged away from the lost boy and tried to stay well out of Akane's way as Ryuoga started giving her pointers.  
With every error Ryuoga told the girl Ranma felt her aura flaring, yet she kept it in check with pure will and determination to get the style down.   
  
He couldn't help but let a small smile cross his lips.  
'She's starting to learn...'  
After Shinji finished his kata a few minutes later the two Saotomes left the dojo in the hands of a lost boy and a highly motivated girl.  
  
Once outside Ranma clapped Shinji on the shoulder.  
"Come on, Shinji. Let's spar for a bit, don't want you to become lax, do we?"  
  
Shinji, however, hadn't heard his brother. He had just seen a very tired and frustrated looking Nabiki enter the house. Seeing her come home that late wouldn't have bothered him too much, but she was doing that an awful lot lately…and in light of the talk he had with Kasumi a few days ago, he could guess why that was.  
"Sorry Ranma, but not today. Maybe you can ask your dad?"  
  
"Oh? Chickening out little brother?"  
  
Shinji shrugged.  
"If you want to call it that, then yes. I have to go now."  
  
Ranma watched his younger brother enter the house with mixed feelings. Something was up.  
Shinji NEVER backed down from training unless something very serious turned up.  
Then Ranma shrugged.  
'Nah, why am I even worrying? Shinji's dealing with it, after all! Time to beat the crap outta pops!'  
  
*************  
  
Shinji was looking at the door of Nabiki's room with trepidation. So far, he hadn't dealt all that much with the middle Tendo-daughter and was therefore still very unused to her presence. However, standing in the hall wasn't going to help matters at all, so Shinji knocked on the door hesitantly.  
As he got the confirmation to come in he opened the door silently and stepped into the room.  
He turned a nice shade of red as he caught sight of Nabiki stretching on her bed in _very_ low cut shorts and a tight fitting top. Currently she was lying on her back and lifting her legs repeatedly.   
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Shinji tried to sound firm, but this new situation along with Nabiki's cold tone brought back his shyness in full force.  
"I…well….you see…I wanted to talk to you Nabiki-san."  
  
Nabiki paused in her motions, slightly surprised to find out she was speaking with Shinji since she hadn't bothered to see who it was up till now. The two of them hadn't spoken too much since he arrived at the Tendos, so she was wondering what the boy could possibly want from her.  
"What's on your mind Shinji-kun?"  
  
Shinji cleared his throat and fidgeted nervously.  
"Well…you see…I was wondering….your father doesn't teach anymore …and he doesn't have a job either. … and I kind of…you know….wanted to help some…since we're probably eating you out of house and home…"   
  
Nabiki stopped abruptly and sat up to look at the boy perplexed. She had expected a lot of things, but not that.   
"Why would we need your help?" She asked a little rasher then intended  
  
Shinji flinched back.  
"Well, Kasumi kind of told me your pictures and deals at school are the only income… that's keeping the house running…and I'm pretty sure with Ranma,… father and me here that won't be enough…so…I wanted to help."  
  
Nabiki smiled at the boy. Truth be told their budget was extremely stretched, and she had planned on asking Mr. Saotome to get a job. Seeing the youngest Saotome taking the initiative on things Nabiki couldn't help but wonder what else the little guy had hidden behind his somewhat meek exterior, beside a level head and a good heart that is.   
But first things first, now she had some business to do.  
Shinji watched as the older girl stood up and walked over.  
She smirked at him.  
"I think, I have a few ideas of how you can help us out, sweetheart."  
As the girl ruffled his hair, Shinji couldn't help but wonder what he had gotten himself into this time.  
"Now then, first off….."  
  
*******************  
  
When Shinji closed the door to Nabiki's door nearly half an hour later he hung his head. She had told him how to make money, all right. That didn't mean he was looking forward to some of her schemes.  
However, as Shinji thought of one particular thing he had to do, he smirked broadly.  
'It seems like you'll have to earn your keep from now on lazy old man!'  
Of course, all this could wait until tomorrow  
  
*******************  
  
In the yard Genma Saotome shuddered violently, giving his son the needed opening to knock the overgrown man into the koi pond  
"I win pops!"  
  
"growf, growf" Translated that meant as much as 'No fair, I was distracted', as you could read on the sign the Panda was holding up.  
  
******************  
  
After dinner  
  
Ryuoga and Akane were still in the dojo training, the latter making a lot more progress then before.  
  
Ryuoga was very pleased with her progress, but he didn't see that Akane was running on will alone after she had trained a good 6 hours straight, only pausing to get some dinner.  
  
So he was slightly shocked when Akane didn't notice the ball lying in her path and fell.  
*thud*  
"ouch!"  
  
"Akane, are you all right?"  
  
"I can't stand..."  
  
***************  
  
After the rest of the household was informed of Akane's accident Dr. Tofu was called to check on her.   
The doctor said she had sprained her ankle and that she wouldn't be able to do anything the next few days. After bandaging her ankle Dr. Tofu immediately left, leaving a very frustrated Akane behind.  
Said girl was currently sitting on her bed and tried to show her older sister that she could take part in the match 2 days later.  
To proof her point Akane tried standing up, only to fall back down again.  
Kasumi frowned slightly.  
"Akane, I want you to promise me not to go to this match!"  
  
Akane looked at her older sister near tears.  
"But Kasumi, I have promised to go and if I don't Kodachi will win by default!"  
  
Standing near the window Nabiki Tendo smirked.  
"Then we just have to find another girl to take your place."  
  
"But whom Nabiki? We don't know any girls good in that kind of thing!"  
  
The middle sister's grin widened even more  
"So sure about it?" She accentuated her question with a pointed glance in Shinji's direction, who was standing in the hall with his brother to see what would happen.  
  
As all heads turned in his direction Shinji sweated heavily.  
"You can't be serious! No, not me! Why not Ranma? He's far better then me! Right bro!?"  
  
Ranma looked panicked for a moment. No way was he fighting as a girl in a friggin leotard!  
"But Shinji, you'd be the better choice. You've trained the whole week to get this down! I don't want to butt in here."  
  
"But…"  
  
The rest of Shinji's protest was cut of by Akane "You don't have to let it look like you don't want to Shinji. I'm not going to be angry with you…just…give her a good beating for me." The girl tried smiling, but her weak attempt to do so couldn't conceal her sadness.  
  
Shinji stopped protesting at her words. He could tell she wasn't happy with the situation, but him not going to the match would make her even more unhappy.  
"Ok. I'll try my best Akane. Good night all."  
  
As Shinji started down the hall Ranma smiled at Akane.  
"Don't worry; he'll be a worthy replacement for you Akane. I hope you get better soon. Night!"  
With that he closed the door and hurried after his brother.   
  
In the Room Akane sighed and whispered.  
"When he wants to…he can be really nice."  
  
"What did you say little sister?"  
  
Akane looked up startled, having totally forgotten her sisters for the moment.  
Her cheeks flushed as she looked down at her feet.  
"Nothing."  
  
Nabiki walked past her younger sister and gestured for Kasumi to stand.  
"Come on Kasumi. I think we should leave her alone to rest."  
  
When Nabiki was alone in her room she finally let a frown cross her face.  
She had seen the look Akane had in her eyes when she looked at Ranma only minutes before and while it wasn't love…it could easily become that.  
'Just take good care of her Saotome…or I'll become very unpleasant very fast.'  
  
***************  
  
2 days later – the challenge match  
Shinji, or rather Rei, as they had decided to call Shinji's female form when in public, was walking behind her older brother Ranma to get to the changing cabins. Shinji decided to use Rei's name because she had always felt some kind of bond to the girl…and she was supposed to be her own sister...so the name was very fitting.   
It didn't take them long to arrive at the right door and Ranma promptly opened it.  
  
Everyone immediately spotted the black roses lying on the table and backed away, already knowing that only Kodachi would use these. That meant they couldn't be very healthy.  
As it was, Mr. Saotome, who was also along to watch Shinji's debut didn't know that and promptly took the bouquet into his hands.  
  
*pshhhhh*  
  
Suddenly a red mist was streaming out from the flowers and Genma fainted on the spot, hitting the small pot of flowers that stood on a small stand with his head. That in turn caused the water inside to spill on his form, leaving an unconscious Panda with a big lump on his head snoring on the floor. Naturally everyone got a good laugh out of it while waiting for the narcotic to clear.  
  
When the smoke cleared a few minutes later Shinji quickly changed into her leotard while the others walked to the great hall to take their seats..   
As she waited for the match to start Shinji grew increasingly nervous.  
Yesterday she had been trained by Ryuoga in her female from all day to get used to it some more and even though Ryuoga had assured her she was up to the challenge…she couldn't share the sentiment.  
This was the first time she was fighting an official challenge. The fact that she had to do it before hundreds of people didn't help at all.  
If you asked her, she would have told you she was more nervous then when she fought in her EVA. Eva may have been more deadly, but if she screwed up then, nobody would be there to laugh at her...literary.  
  
When the time came Shinji stood up, once again noting that these leotards were _far_ to tight to be decent. Heck, if Shinji would have seen a girl clad like she was now a few months back she would have fainted on the spot.  
  
As Shinji heard the announcer say her fake name she dismissed her idle thoughts.  
If she wanted to win, she had to be at her fullest.  
  
****************  
  
"Hello ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the official match of gymnastic martial arts between St. Hebereke and Furinkan high. I hope you will all enjoy today's performance.   
Now allow me to introduce our combatants for today:  
The champion and captain of the St. Hebereke team, the lovely Kodachi Kuno, the Black Rose!"  
  
The whole audience cheered as light flooded the hall and rose petals began to fall from the ceiling. Through it all Kodachi was lowered down into the ring, sitting on a small log that was suspended between two ropes.  
She was clad in a white, fancy looking dress and looking like she was going to some party, not like she was going to fight.  
She kept blowing kisses to the audience and once she was on the floor she started bowing until the applause died down.  
Standing in the shadows next to the ring Shinji found the whole thing just plain ridiculous.  
Why didn't she just walk into the ring like normal people?  
  
"And now I introduce the challenger: A big applause for Rei Saotome, the representative of Furinkan high!"  
  
Once again the audience cheered, this time with far less enthusiasm, as Shinji walked up to the ring.  
Shinji herself had noticed that as well, but wasn't very surprised, considering most of the audience was from St. Hebereke.  
She stepped onto the ring and bowed once.  
  
The announcer once again took the word.  
"Now for the rules: You can only hit your opponent with any weapon that is issued in gymnastic martial arts. Bodily contact with your opponent is not allowed! That same goes for sharp weapons or any other lethal implements! First one to submit, get knocked out or knocked out of the ring loses! And NOW LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!"  
  
Immediately Shinji shifted into a ready stance, while Kodachi stood relaxed, smirking confidently.  
"So it seems that Akane Tendo hasn't managed to answer my challenge. A pity that she sprained her ankle…and that without my help. Hopefully you will give me a sufficient challenge Rei Saotome. May the better girl win!" She said while offering her hand  
  
Shinji was a little perplexed. That girl could be quite nice if she wanted.  
For a moment Shinji relaxed and stepped forwards to take the offered hand from the girl.  
  
That was Kodachi's cue. The next moment Shinji found the white dress flung her way…and managed only barely to dodge the piece of cloth.   
Kodachi's following attack with her ribbon sliced trough the dress, but missed Shinji.  
  
"The Black Rose takes the offensive with a very sneaky attack, using her dress to obscure her real attack! Rei dodges with quick reflexes!"  
  
Shinji ignored the speaker as she desperately dodged strike after strike form Kodachi's ribbon. Even now it was clear to her that she was way in over her head. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't try.  
As Kodachi's ribbon flew at her once again, Shinji rolled to the side and took out her own ribbon. Kodachi once again attacked and this time Shinji dodged to the left. In one swift movement her own ribbon flashed out and caught her unsuspecting opponent's wrist.  
  
Before Kodachi could react Shinji tugged at the ribbon with all her might, flinging Kodachi to the ground. This move had the side effect of loosening the ribbon, which enabled the prone girl to slip out of the hold.  
  
Kodachi jumped back to put some distance between herself and Shinji and caught the hoop one of her teammates threw into the ring.  
"Not bad little girl. Let's see how you fare against this!" Said Kodachi as she hurled the hoop towards Shinji.  
  
The smaller blue-haired girl threw out her ribbon to ensnare the incoming hoop, only to watch the hoop slice right through it.  
Thinking that coming anywhere near that particular hoop was a _very_ bad idea Shinji twisted to the side the last possible moment. However, she wasn't fast enough and the front of her leotard was ripped open in the middle.  
Immediately Shinji's mind shifted gears. It was obvious Kodachi had every intention of winning this fight…even if it meant seriously hurting her opponent. Shinji didn't mind Kodachi doing that to her…but she would do the same to others. THAT made Shinji's blood boil.   
  
On the sidelines Ranma noticed the slight shift in Shinji's stance right away and knew that Kodachi was in deep shit. The younger girl seemed totally unaware of the superficial wound on her stomach and was now focusing the other girl with an intense gaze.  
  
Kodachi, seeing how her opponent didn't move, obviously too shocked after being hit, acted quickly. She ran forward and brought out a club.  
"Now beware of my ultimate technique: The dance of a hundred clubs!"  
  
Shinji stood stock still as the enemy ran towards her, but caught the club Ranma threw at her nonetheless.  
When Kodachi was only a few feet away her eyes narrowed and she darted forward.  
  
Kodachi, totally unprepared for her opponent sudden aggressiveness was hit in her ribcage several times before she could recover and start her attack.  
"Dance of a hundred clubs!"  
  
Shinji found herself on the defensive as seemingly dozens of clubs flew at her at once. Normally the attack would have overwhelmed her, but she was fueled by a cold rage at the other girl's reckless behavior and held her ground.  
  
For a few seconds clubs flashed back and forth between the two fighters. Shinji felt various hits all over her body and knew she wouldn't be able to keep standing at this rate.  
Instead of blocking the next barrage she left herself open, taking a few very hard hits, and struck Kodachi's wrist.  
The other girl lost her grip on her weapon, forcing her to stop her attack as it fell down.  
  
The audience could only stare in shock as not one but over ten clubs fell out of Kodachi's hand.  
  
Ranma, who was standing next to the ring, was surprised as well, but for other reasons.   
What had him surprised was his brother's speed. In the current stage of his training Shinji shouldn't have been able to move even half that fast, yet he…or rather she still pulled it off somehow.  
Shoving the incident to the back of his head Ranma turned back to the fight.  
Shinji gave Kodachi a cold smile, the various bruises and abrasions forming on her body not even registering in her mind as she calculated her next move.  
Kodachi watched the other girl cautiously as she backed away. The little girl shouldn't have been able to block that move, yet she managed anyway. That alone wouldn't have bothered Kodachi too much….but the way the blue-haired hell spawn was smiling at her sent chills down her spine.  
When Kodachi was on the other end of the ring Shinji saw her chance.  
She rushed forward; looking like she wanted to skewer the other girl with the club she held pointing straight forward.  
  
Kodachi nearly laughed out loud when seeing the obviously rage-driven and pathetic attack.  
In the last possible moment she jumped upwards, sailing over her opponents head.  
  
Under her Shinji, having fully expected that move, turned 180 degrees and threw her club at Kodachi's flying form.  
  
Readjusting herself in the air Kodachi whipped out another ribbon to ensnare the other girl, only to be hit by a club straight in the solar plexus.  
  
Shinji smirked as the added force of his throw carried Kodachi's form clear over the ring  
  
Next to the ring Ranma smiled proudly. That was one clever move his younger brother had used.  
  
Up in the ranks Genma Saotome, who had woken up sometime during the fight, bragged to Soun.  
"See! That's my student! Only one of my students can come up with something like that!"  
  
Akane snorted  
"Pa! Like that was such a great move. "  
  
Nabiki was busy taking another snapshot of Shinji's female from.  
'This is going to make a fortune'  
  
Needless to say everybody was stunned when Kodachi whistled, and suddenly the whole ring moved to where she would land.   
  
Next to the ring Ranma frowned. After the ring stopped moving he crouched down and pulled the material covering its side away a little bit. Instead of wooden boards he found that most of the area behind was hollow, that is if you disregarded the other members of the St. Hebereke team that were happily chatting away. Obviously they had carried the ring around.  
'Now what can we do about this?'  
Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a rat making its way through the hall.  
'Perfect' He thought and quickly grabbed the small animal at the tail.  
Ignoring the rat's protests he drew some of the material to the side and threw the rat under the ring.  
'3…2…1..'  
  
"EEEEEKKKKK A RAT!"  
  
The next moment nearly 20 girls came stumbling out under the ring in panic.  
Of course, the referee once again didn't take notice of this.  
Not that Ranma cared anyway. Shinji would win one way or another…he had been trained by the best after all.  
In the ring Shinji waited silently as Kodachi tried to get her bearings back.  
It seemed that one hit had tipped the odds in her favor quite well.  
The only problem she was facing was the issue of knocking the other girl out, since she obviously couldn't throw her out of the ring. Kodachi may have been looking bedraggled, but she felt her own strength slowly fading because of the many hits she had already taken..   
  
As if on cue the screams under her feet started and twenty some girls fled from under the ring. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ranma giving her thumbs up. Shinji also noted that Kodachi was unaware of what just happened, still to shook up from their last clash.  
'Okay... that takes care of that problem. Now let's see if we can do this again'  
  
The crowd cheered as Shinji ended the short pause by charging at her opponent, one club in each hand.  
Then Shinji was onto the other girl, both hands nearly blurring as she committed herself to an all out attack. The Black Rose dodged, but soon she was cornered.   
When Kodachi once again jumped overhead to get away from her Shinji grinned. She whirled around and threw both clubs at her.  
  
The Black Rose gave Shinji a condescending grin as she caught both clubs in her hands, this time prepared for the move.  
"Do you think this will work twice? Hah!"  
Kodachi one again whistled, still grinning….and watched in horror as the ring didn't move to catch her.  
  
Down on the ground Shinji watched the grin on Kodachi's face give way to horror with amusement clearly written in his features.  
'I wonder if father is always such a bastard just so he can see this kind of expression on people's faces. I could understand that…somewhat.'  
  
*thunk*   
  
And so the rather comical meeting of one Kodachi Kuno's bottom with the hard ground signaled the first victory of one Shinji Saotome in the world of martial arts.  
  
****************  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Wow, this one flowed out of me like no ones business. It was just like a dam broke or something. The scene with Shinji and Kasumi in the kitchen turned out longer than I thought it would…but I think it showed some of the motives for all three Tendo-sisters very well. Aside from that, I wanted to show that Kasumi isn't just some little girl who's oblivious to her surroundings….as the saying goes: calm waters are deep……..  
  
Yeah, I know this chapter is revolving around Shinji for most of the time, but I can assure all of you Ranma fans that we will see a lot more of our pigtailed hero later on. AND it's not just to let something blow up in his face….well, not all of the time anyway.  
  
Hope you enjoyed the fight-scene at the end. It was rather drawn out, but I think Shinji's first fight has a right to be that detailed, eh?   
  
Last but not least I want to thank my pre-reader Ranshin for once again correcting my horrible grammar and spelling.  
I also want to thank kuracao for his suggestions that helped in lightening the story up a bit. He's also done a little omake.  
  
Now I'll just ask you nicely to drop of a review after going to the trouble of reading through this and then I'll leave you alone to read kuracao's omake..  
  
mastermage  
  
NOW OMAKE TIME:  
  
(a little change to the scene in Nabiki's room)  
  
Shinji watches as the older girl stands up and walks over.  
She smirks at him.  
"I think, I have a few ideas of how you can help us out, sweetheart."  
As the girl ruffles his hair, Shinji can't help but wonder what he has gotten himself into this time.  
"In fact, if what you said just now is true, you will help me a great deal…"  
Shinji raises an eyebrow at the remark, not fully processing the sentence…  
"You see, Shinji-kun, I already have a request from Ms Washu for a little experiment, well paid. Sorry but she will be here in a few second so…" Nabiki is smiling like the cat that ate the canary   
Shinji, not fully understanding the situation but knowing that experiment is not something that he will like, activates the final Saotome technique: RUN AWAY!  
Rushing to the door, Shinji notices too late that it looks like a mirror and promptly vanishes.  
  
Ten seconds later, Washu Hakubi, greatest genius of the universe, in her nurse outfit, hands Nabiki a bundle of 500-Yen banknotes.  
"He will be back in one hour, probably a little winded I think. Taking the final sample, from a non-willing subject, can be rather difficult."  
Nabiki doesn't raise her eyes from counting the cash in her hand and nods her head, while a small corner of her mind wonders just what the final sample is. 


	7. SS6 One Amazon Is One Too Many

Chapter 6 – One Amazon is One Too Many  
  
One day after Shinji's victory  
  
Shinji was walking on top of the fence behind Ranma while Akane and Ryuoga were walking on the sidewalk.  
The boy had a grimace on his face, and it was clear that he had great problems following his brother. The reason was pretty simple: Even though Shinji had won his match and was very proud of himself for doing so, his body had taken a lot of abuse that was just now making itself known.  
Last night he had hurt all over and since he didn't have the healing ability of his brother…he still hurt. And now, Ranma had promptly ordered him back to his usual training regimen. As Shinji walked behind his brother, every fiber of his body telling him to stop, Shinji could only think one thing.  
  
'This sucks'  
  
Trying to ignore his body, Shinji focused on something else and quickly thought back to the conversation he had with Nabiki.   
He did not like the first part of their conversation at all. Nabiki said pictures of him and Ranma in their girl forms would sell for a fortune at school. The reason was simple: he and Ranma had been seen around the school grounds in their female forms a few times because some idiot kept dumping water out of the windows, somehow managing to always hit one of them…or both. Nobody knew about the curses yet and so the perverts at school were begging Nabiki for photos of the 'mysterious babes' as they had been dubbed.   
  
Shinji nearly laughed at that. Had somebody told him a few months back he could sometimes be described as a hot babe, he would have laughed in their face. He could almost picture his best friends Kensuke and Toji drooling all over his girls form…not exactly a pleasant thought.  
  
After agreeing to take a few shots, Shinji had managed to convince the girl to keep their curses a secret. While he didn't mind a few people knowing about it, he really didn't need a whole school thinking him a freak.   
  
Then Shinji remembered the second part of their talk, and smirked evilly.  
Ranma's hackles rose suddenly and he turned around to find his brother with his rarely shown 'evil smile'; the one that clearly indicated that the boy would soon screw somebody over.  
Seeing his brother's expression, Ranma turned forward again.  
'I really don't wanna know, I don't……but I think I should pity pop.'  
  
On the street Akane also noticed Shinji's expression and blinked, twice.  
She was tempted to ask the boy what was on his mind, but decided against it.  
'Damn…he's scary like that.'  
  
Ryuoga felt his hackles rise as well, but decided to just ignore the dangerous feeling he got from Shinji. It was probably just a fluke, and if it wasn't…he was not going to stop the young boy unless totally necessary.  
Meanwhile Shinji was still smirking.  
It had taken them some time to work it out, but Shinji and Nabiki had worked out a plan together that would either end the engagement without anybody losing face….or force two lazy men to get a job. In the end, Shinji had convinced Nabiki to let him handle it, since she already had her hands full getting some money from other sources.  
Now Shinji could barely wait to have a little chat with certain persons. Being evil was great!   
'This is going to be fun….for me at least'  
  
*****************  
  
At the Tendos both Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo weren't able to ignore the sudden wave of fear that washed over them.  
They looked at each other and gulped loudly.  
"We're going to die Tendo," Genma said in all seriousness.  
"Oh NOOOOOOOOOO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE SAOTOME!" screamed Tendo as he started wailing.  
  
Feeling the tragic moment ruined, Genma shrugged his dread off and quickly rearranged the pieces on the shogi board.  
  
*******************  
  
Another time, another place  
  
All of as sudden, Gendo Ikari felt very proud of his son for scaring the shit out of a bunch of people. How he got that notion, he had no idea.  
  
Then he smirked….if his intuition was right, not all was lost yet  
  
*******************  
  
The same afternoon  
  
Silence permeated the Tendo dojo as two parties studied each other.  
On one side sat Shinji, with a calculating look on his face. To his right sat Ranma, who didn't have a clue why his brother had called him out here.   
  
Opposite of the Saotome brothers, Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo sat together, both of them slightly nervous as to what was about to happen.  
Now you're probably wondering why they where even there, eh?   
Well, lets just say one hint from Shinji that Kasumi might soon stop cooking in the near future if they didn't have a little talk convinced Genma rather quickly. Soun followed his friend like the tame little puppy he was.  
  
As it was, Soun was the one to break the silence.  
"So son, what was that about Kasumi not being able to cook in the future?"  
  
Shinji gave them a neutral look.  
"I will be frank with you. I had a little talk with Nabiki about the Tendos' finances last week.  
As it stands, our little talk made one thing clear: This household will be bankrupt before the end of this month, which means we will have to cut down on food as much as possible. That means no more exquisite meals from Kasumi."  
  
Immediately Genma sprang up with tears in his eyes.  
"NO! We can't let that happen! Something has to be done to keep my stomach filled…..eh, I mean that we can enjoy Kasumi's meals in the future."  
  
Soun was already having a fit.  
"Oh no! My poor babies will have to starve for the rest of their life!!!!!!! I must do something!!"  
  
Shinji rolled his eyes as the two kept crying in front of him.  
'I swear, if anybody on this earth is more predictable than these two, I pity him with all my heart.'  
"Well, there's an easy solution."  
  
Soun and Genma stopped crying immediately and looked at him hopefully.  
  
"Get a job."  
  
Shinji looked on as their faces changed from hope to abject horror in one moment.  
Next to Shinji, Ranma wondered how the boy planned on getting his lazy old man to find a job.  
  
As it was, Genma was the first to recover. With as much dignity as one can have after having a nervous breakdown, he turned into his lecturing mode.  
"Now son, you know as well as I do that I can't take a job. That honour falls to Ranma and you. You have to learn how to provide for a family. What better way than starting now? Me supporting the Tendos would only help in softening you two."  
At that point, Soun sprang up from his feet and nodded furiously, showing his support for that logic.  
  
Ranma was about to protest loudly, but Shinji held up a hand to stop him.  
Then the young boy stood up like Genma had and shook his head.  
"I am afraid you do not understand the situation …Father, Mr. Tendo. This isn't just a matter of getting money, though that's part of it. Haven't you made the pact to unite the families because you want to strengthen both?"  
  
Genma blinked, a little put off by the sudden change in topic.  
"Ah…yes?"  
  
Shinji nodded.  
"Then clearly under the present conditions, the pact is pointless and should therefore be nullified."  
  
"What do you mean by that?!" Screamed both fathers indignantly.  
  
Shinji smirked. This was all too easy.  
"Easy. If two members of different families marry, it should always be in everybody's best interest that these two can continue the bloodline. Right now, I cannot see how children of your blood could do that. Seeing how you two stopped working to support a family, it is a safe bet to assume the same thing will happen to all of your children…..it runs in the genes if you will. That means they won't be able to support themselves...or you for that matter. You should also know that our law states that children who can prove their future outlook is endangered by such a union can cancel the engagement at their own will without losing honor. "  
Shinji had to use every ounce of willpower to keep from laughing out loud while watching the fathers as they considered what he had said. He wouldn't have said the bunch of bull he had just told these two to any other person he knew in hopes they would buy it, but he was sure these two would. Heck, anybody in their right mind would see the law he stated for what it was: made up. Not that Genma would think he had said anything untrue for even one moment.  
  
Always telling the truth had a lot of advantages if you really needed a convincing lie. It made people less suspicious of your motives.  
  
Next to Shinji, Ranma had great problems holding his mouth in check. The moment Shinji had slighted both families, Ranma wanted to say something…but he knew the devil had something planned…something that would get his father in trouble.  
That alone was reason enough to stay silent.  
  
Meanwhile Genma and Soun were mulling over what Shinji had said…..and couldn't see anything wrong with his logic. (Just how dumb does one have to be??????)  
Their reactions were different though.  
Genma stayed silent, knowing that Shinji had planned something that would land on his shoulders in the end. The boy was skinny….but, as much as he hated to admit it, Shinji could run circles around his own intellect, which often resulted in Genma finding himself in tight situations with now way out but to do as the boy 'suggested'.  
  
Soun did not have that experience and spoke up. He would do what was necessary to unite the families! For once, his expression was somber while speaking.  
"Indeed. I can see you logic young man. Is there a way to remedy that situation?"  
When Genma saw the smirk on Shinji's face, he knew he was doomed.  
  
"Easy. Work."  
  
"Huh?" was Soun's intelligent answer  
  
"I said work. It is rather simple. If you find yourself a job, you can show that your children can do the same when they're your age, which means they will be able to support themselves and the families can be united. I suggest you start by opening the dojo again. We can advertise it a school…and poof, you will have your first students. How does that sound Tendo-san?"  
  
Soun tilted his head.  
"I don't know…I haven't taught in a long time" Suddenly a determined light shone behind his eyes "BUT to unite the families I will do it. And Saotome here will help me set all this up! Right Saotome?"  
  
Genma could only nod weakly as Soun's gaze turned on him. His friend's eyes hadn't shone like that since his wife had died.  
  
The next moment Genma found himself being dragged by Soun out the door.  
"Come on Saotome, we have a lot of work to do. We need to outline the training program…and I have to ask Shingo from the council if he can print us some flyers. Just you wait; we'll have this running by the end of this week."  
  
As the door close behind the middle-aged men, Shinji felt a tension he wasn't aware of leaving his body and his face was split by a huge grin.  
"I did it…."  
  
Ranma watched his brother in curious wonder. He had to admit having been insulted had been worth the results. Never in his whole life would he have believed that his old man would get work. It seemed his brother had once again done the impossible simply by laying out facts in the right order. Now only one question remained.  
"Where the hell did you dig up that law Shinji?"  
  
Shinji stopped his happy dance to facefault painfully.   
After dragging himself up he looked at Ranma incredulously.  
"What do you think? It's made up, of course!"  
  
Ranma's jaw hung loose.   
'Okay, maybe he wasn't just laying out facts this time around.'  
"Then…you lied?!"  
  
Shinji shrugged his shoulders and his smile dimmed a little bit.  
"Yeah, I lied. It's not that I like doing that, but I have a feeling this will do these two a world of good…..and our budget as well. By the way, even if these two start working. Nabiki said we will need another source of income till then."  
  
Ranma peered at him.  
"And what is that?"  
  
"Well, you know the few times our female forms have been seen at Furinkan have left a lasting impression."  
  
"So, what's you point?"  
  
"Nabiki said all those perverts at Furinkan would pay ridiculous amounts of money to get some photos of our girl forms. She wants to do a little photo shooting get good pictures. Of course, it's your choice if you want to."  
  
Ignoring his urge to protest loudly, Ranma thought it over. The thought of a bunch of perverts jerking off while thinking of his girl side wasn't very appealing, that was for sure. Then again, what did it matter to him what they thought? He would be useful for once by getting in some money. Besides, Shinji said it was their choice and he was doing it. That implied it couldn't be all that bad.  
"All right. I'll do it. One condition though: I'm not gonna walk around naked"  
  
Shinji smiled. He hadn't been sure if Ranma would agree, but it seemed if you gave him the chance to make a choice, he made the right one.  
"Thanks bro. Nabiki will sure be happy to hear that. I'll go and tell her."  
  
Shinji was already in the door as Ranma's voice rang out.  
"Now Shinji, I'm sure that can wait until later. Why don't we spar a little since we're already here? You didn't think I would forget, did you?"  
  
Shinji groaned. Even with his back to Ranma, he _knew_ his older brother was smiling.  
His whole body was still weary and aching all over, but nooooooooo he wouldn't get a break!  
Throwing his hands up in exasperation, he whirled around to face his grinning brother.  
"Oh all right. We'll spar…you damned slave driver."  
  
Ranma's smile only widened as he rushed forward……  
  
************************  
  
Two days later  
  
Shinji, now in significantly less pain then two days prior, walked into Dr. Tofu's clinic to give back a book Tofu had lent to Kasumi.  
When she had announced she would go to the market and bring over the book, Shinji had jumped at the chance to do it for her.   
He would do anything as long as he could get away from Ranma's training for at least one day. Somehow his older brother couldn't comprehend that Shinji's body actually needed time to recover and that he wasn't superhuman like Ranma.  
After a little convincing, she had accepted his offer and here he was now.  
  
"Hello there, Shinji."  
  
"AAAHHHHHH!" Shinji once again rammed his head into the ceiling in shock.   
Once he was down on the ground again, he glared at the grinning doctor.  
Shinji had been here two times after his first visit; once because of his challenge and another time because Akane hit Ranma a little too hard. Somehow the good doctor always managed to scare him to death  
"Would you please stop doing that? If this keeps happening I'll get a concussion someday."  
  
Dr. Tofu shook his head.  
"I don't think so, not until you become a little more relaxed. From the way you're jumping, one would think you fear for your life." He smirks. "Besides, it's fun…"  
  
Shinji slumped his shoulders. In a way the man was right. He knew that he was way too tense all the time, but piloting a multi-billion-yen killing-machine while trying to save the human race tends to leave its mark on a person. His time with Ranma had calmed him down somewhat, but Shinji was far from relaxed.  
"All right, if you like it so much, you might as well continue."  
  
"So Shinji, what brings you here this time of the day? Another wound?"  
  
Shinji shook his head.  
"No. I'm just bringing back this book here. Kasumi said it was yours and I should bring it back."  
  
The moment the doctor's glasses fogged up, Shinji knew something was wrong.  
When Dr. Tofu started blabbering something about Kasumi and how nice she looked, Shinji wondered if he had lost it.  
"Dr. Tofu? Are you all right?"  
  
That was the wrong thing to say, as the crazy man now focused his attentions on Shinji.  
"You're not all right mister? Here, let me help you!"  
The next moment Shinji found himself being hugged, with Dr. Tofu's fingers dancing wildly all over his body.   
His left arm became numb when a pressure point was tapped.  
'Uh Oh, this isn't good!'  
"DR. TOFU! SNAP OUT OF IT!"  
  
Shinji breathed a sigh of relief as Tofu's glasses became clear instantly.  
The man looked at Shinji confused.  
"Oh, hello there Shinji. Did you need anything else or why are you still here?"  
  
"Ah no. I'll be going now! Have a nice day!"  
  
Tofu smiled.  
"You too. Drop by again sometime!"  
  
Once out in the open Shinji breathed a sigh of relief.   
'And I thought piloting EVA was dangerous!'  
Shinji was surprised to find that he meant what he thought. Indeed since coming to Nerima, he found people who had even more problems to work through than him: Soun with his emotional imbalance, Kuno with his delusions of grandeur, Akane with her fiery temper and the list goes.  
Ranma had told him he should help those who couldn't help themselves and while Shinji knew that Ranma was meaning the physical aspect, Shinji couldn't help but apply this to life in general. The only problem was, that he could not help everyone…he just wasn't tough enough for that, not to mention that he had his own problems to deal with.  
  
Shrugging off thoughts of how crazy this world was, Shinji walked down the street to get to the market. He could think about Dr. Tofu's little episode later on, when he had a clearer head.  
While walking away Shinji noted that he could move his left pinkie again, if he was lucky his arm was going to be okay when he reached the market.  
  
********************  
  
Shinji was walking back from the market, both arms full of groceries, when he noticed the commotion further down a side street he was passing.  
Curiosity getting the better of him for once, he left his path and headed down the street.  
  
From afar it looked like somebody was moving in somewhere, but when Shinji was only a mere 60 feet away he caught a glimpse of lavender inside one of the windows.  
He also noticed two black-haired girls about his age that looked like twins. They were making it quite clear to the full-grown workers who were moving various stuff inside that they were not fast enough.  
  
From the way the workers were running, they seemed to listen too.  
Maybe the menacing looking swords the girls were carrying had something to do with that?  
  
That indicated something strange was going on and Shinji felt the impending sense of doom once again approach. That was one thing that seemed to happen on a regular basis here.  
  
When the glimpse of lavender revealed itself to be the hair of a stunning female teenager, Shinji nearly swallowed his tongue. He knew that face and he did not like what her being here implied.  
  
"Are you finished ogling my great-granddaughter now?"  
  
Shinji 's head whipped to the left, bringing him face to face with the wrinkled face of Ku Lon, who was standing on the compound wall next to the sidewalk.  
Tensing up, Shinji regarded her curiously.  
"What are you doing in Nerima, elder Cologne?"  
  
Cologne smirked.  
"You should relax a little bit sonny-boy. All that tension can't be good for you. We're only setting up a base here because we thought it necessary to widen the horizons of our tribe."  
  
Shinji cocked his head to the right.  
"Somehow I have a feeling that's not the only reason you're here, is it?"  
  
"Of course not. We came here searching for husbands."  
  
Shinji's eyes narrowed.  
"You should know that you won't get Ranma!"  
  
Cologne cackled.  
"Oh, you shouldn't worry so much about your brother. He's not the only one we're hunting. On that note, let me introduce you to some of your greatest fans. SPICE, PEPPER!"  
  
Shinji nearly dropped his groceries in shock when the meaning of Cologne's words finally sank in.   
'This has to be a joke!'  
  
Then he noticed that the girls whom he had watched earlier were looking at him strangely.  
It was a look that made him very uneasy. Both girls drew their swords and started running towards him. "I'll make you mine!"   
  
Shinji's eyes bugged out  
"Uh OH!"  
The next moment he was running down the street at full speed, his new admirers hot on his heels. There was no way he could fight these two since his victory would result in him marrying him and his loss…..he did not want to think about it right now.   
Instead Shinji found himself making a slight modification to his old mantra.  
'I must run away! I must run away! I must run away, VERY FAST!'  
Cologne watched the trio vanish in the distance and smiled wistfully.  
The youth was always so energetic.   
Then her smile changed to a thoughtful expression. The boy, Shinji, was certainly something else. Since she had seen him the last time, his aura had nearly tripled in size. Never in her life had she seen anybody improve his power level so much in such a short time. Frankly, she was a little puzzled. From the way Shinji was moving, his skills had improved as well, but not nearly enough to warrant such a change in power levels. This bore looking into….  
  
********************  
  
Meanwhile, Shinji was making good use of his newly built strength by running away from two sword-wielding admirers. The bags of groceries he was carrying didn't help in increasing his speed, yet he didn't want to throw them away.  
The solution to his problem came in form of Akane, who was just now leaving an ice-cream parlor with her friends Yuka and Sayuri.  
One moment Akane was talking to her friend, the next Shinji came to a full stop before her.  
"Hi Akane, Sayuri, Yuka! Could you please bring this to Kasumi?"  
Akane found two grocery bags trust in her arms  
"Thanks guys. Bye!" Then Shinji was gone.  
  
Yuka blinked.  
"What was that all about?"  
  
Two black-haired girls wielding swords several sizes too big for them rushed past them screaming. 'I will make you mine!'  
  
Sayuri gestured in the direction the girls vanished.  
"I would venture it was about these two. Say Akane, are these kinds of things happening all the time with your guests?"  
  
Akane nodded her head dumbly.  
"Yeah, I think they're born to cause trouble or something. I better hurry home to tell Ranma about this. Those swords looked awfully sharp."  
  
"We'll walk with you!"  
'This is so exciting!' Thought Yuka and Sayuri at the same time.  
  
****************  
  
The girls found Ranma sparring with Ryuoga in the yard.  
Immediately Yuka and Sayuri reverted to ogling mode while watching and Akane could only roll her eyes.  
'I swear these two can be bigger perverts then any guy I know. Although Ranma is looking good like that'   
Eyes widening, Akane shook her head. Now Ranma had managed to make her a pervert as well!   
Deciding that beating Ranma for making her a pervert could wait, Akane got to the point.  
"RANMA!"  
  
"What is it Akane?" said Ranma without stopping the fight.  
  
"Shinji's in trouble. Two girls with swords were chasing after him a while ago. They looked really dangerous too. "  
  
"Did they say they wanted to kill him?" asked Ranma still unconcerned.  
  
At that point, Yuka decided to interject.  
"No, I think they said something about making him theirs"  
  
"That's not so bad, is it?" asked Ryuoga   
  
Akane sputtered  
"But…but, you have to help him! He may be in real danger!"  
  
Ranma and Ryuoga stopped for a moment with thoughtful looks on their faces.  
"Should we help him?"   
A moment of silence.  
"Naw…that's what he gets for skipping our training!"  
With that out of the way, Ranma and Ryuoga once again started trading blows   
  
The three girls were left standing with mouths agape. Ranma and Ryuoga didn't seem very concerned for Shinji's health.   
Then Akane shrugged.  
"If these two aren't concerned about Shinji, why should we? He'll probably get through this one alone."  
  
Yuka and Sayuri nodded as they followed Akane into the house, both of them wondering if getting involved with Akane's guests was such a good idea.  
Once the girls were gone, Ryuoga gave Ranma a questioning look.  
"You sure we shouldn't check up on him?"  
  
Ranma shook his head.  
"Nope. They said these girls weren't trying to kill, so it can't be that bad. Besides, I sure as hell ain't gonna try and solve his problems. I've got a hand for making things worse than they already are. Of course, this is probably a good workout for him as well."  
  
Ryuoga shrugged.  
"If you say so. But enough of this, let's fight for real now!"  
As Ryuoga charged, the topic of Shinji was quickly forgotten….  
  
****************  
  
Shinji peeked out of the alley he was hiding in and breathed a sigh of relief as he found the streets empty.   
The sun was already vanishing on the horizon, which indicated that dinner was over for nearly an hour now.   
'Dammit! Now I've missed dinner because of those idiotic Amazons!'  
His stomach agreed with him as it let off an ominous rumble.  
'Oh well, maybe Kasumi has saved me some leftovers.'   
Forcing his aching legs to walk in the direction of the dojo, Shinji couldn't help but curse his bad luck. He had gone shopping for Kasumi to get away from Ranma's training for one day and instead got something even worse!  
  
Believe me, running all over the city for nearly 4 hours _is_ exhausting.  
Shinji didn't have the slightest idea where they had disappeared to, but he was grateful for it anyway.   
He had to admit that hiding in a dumpster to make sure they were gone wasn't the brightest idea he had in his life.   
He was reeking like no one's business.  
  
'At least I've managed to lose them without becoming their husband'  
That was the only real consolation Shinji had as he started jogging home in hopes of getting there before it was night.  
  
He did not notice the figures following him on the rooftops.  
  
*****************  
  
Cologne looked up from her book as Pepper and Spice entered the main room of their newly decorated restaurant.  
"I take it you have located the place the Saotomes are residing at?"   
  
Spice and Pepper nodded energetically.  
"Yes elder! We had lots of fun playing with our intended husband."  
  
Cologne raised an eyebrow.  
"Oh, is that so?"  
  
Spice snickered  
"Yeah. He has a lot of endurance I must say. We chased him a good 4 hours!"  
  
Pepper smirked lecherously.  
"Just imagine what he can do with all that endurance in bed!"  
  
Cologne couldn't help but chuckle at their antics.   
"Now girls, first you have to make him your husband, then you can think about that. Go to bed now. You'll have to be fit tomorrow!"  
  
The twins nodded and vanished up the stairs.  
Once they were gone, Cologne turned back to her book.   
Pepper and Spice were her great-granddaughters just like Shampoo, with the difference that their grand-mother had married into another clan, which meant under Amazon law that they weren't really hers. That didn't stop her from loving them. She was happy that these two had found a mate in Shinji. Up to this point she had always feared they wouldn't find the right man because of their brilliant minds. That both of them could already speak flawless Japanese was proof of that. In Shinji, she had seen somebody who had an intelligent, if a little naïve, head on his shoulders. That made him the primary target for these two. That he wasn't such a great fighter wasn't all that bad since Pepper and Spice cared very little for physical strength in a male….not that it wasn't a nice bonus, mind you.  
  
Physical strength…that was Ranma's strength  
Shinji's older brother was reserved for her real great-granddaughter, Shampoo, who had always wanted a wild and untamed husband.  
Such a prime example of male flesh had to stay in her bloodline; it was already bad enough that Shinji would go to another clan, even if it was to Spice and Pepper.  
  
Then again, nothing was set in stone yet.  
What with the other girls she had to take with her after the council had outvoted her.  
All in all there were 4 other Amazons(1) here, each one the heir to another village elder.  
Nearly all of them had their eyes set on Ranma, which was the only positive point since that meant at least Spice and Pepper would get their man.   
Oh well, that could wait another day, couldn't it?  
  
Shrugging of her idle thoughts, Cologne turned back to her book, a dreamy look entering her eyes.  
'Tuxedo-mask is soooooo charming!'(2)  
  
Hey! It maybe a stretch but in a way mangas are books too!  
  
*****************  
  
Ranma was walking on the fence as usual, Shinji not far behind him.  
School had just let out and there hadn't been any sign of Amazons.   
Shinji could practically feel his nerves slowly frying away because of the tension.  
  
Ranma started whistling.  
  
Well, okay…_his_ tension anyway.  
  
When Shinji had told the Tendos and Saotomes of his encounter yesterday, Ranma had only said something about a god being out there to get him. Aside from that, Ranma was his usual upbeat self, something that Shinji couldn't quite comprehend.  
The reactions from the others were just as he had suspected.  
Akane once again dubbed Ranma as a pervert for 'sleeping with that bimbo'. How she got that idea Shinji didn't know.  
Nabiki was unreadable as always and Kasumi's smile was just a little strained after the news.  
As for the fathers: They had practically ordered Ranma to take the beating the Amazons would dish out and that he was not to defeat any of them. Figures, since that would end the Tendo engagement.  
While Soun's demon-head scared the shit out of Ranma and Shinji yesterday, Shinji doubted Ranma would do as he was told.  
Meanwhile Ranma was walking in front of his younger brother without a care in the world.  
Shinji seemed really stressed out because of these Amazons, but they would be gone as fast as they came once they realized they wouldn't get him or Shinji as husbands.  
Now if they would only show up! It was bad enough Shinji had forced him to wait at school just so Akane and Ryuoga could walk ahead so they wouldn't get involved. He didn't want to do that again!  
  
His prayers were answered when his danger sense went off.  
Ranma jumped from the fence a split-second before a bonbori impacted the place where he stood before and dented it.  
As he landed on the street facing the purple haired girl who had just ruined the fence, he noted that hitting your head on the sidewalk like Shinji did just now hurt a lot.   
He should know since it happened to him often enough.  
Seeing how the Amazon, Shampoo was her name if he remembered correctly, was currently waiting for him, he turned his attention back to her.  
"What?"  
  
"Why you no attack Shampoo?"  
  
Ranma shrugged.  
"Well, why should I? What with your laws concerning marriage. Besides, I don't fight girls!"  
  
Shampoo's eyes narrowed.  
"Oh, then you need further motivation, yes? Hiya!"  
As he started weaving in between Shampoo's strikes, Ranma rolled his eyes…this would take a while.  
Shinji was rubbing his head while watching Ranma's 'fight' with Shampoo.  
He was once again sitting on the fence to have a better view. He was sure those girls from yesterday were very near as well, but hitting the concrete head first from a height of two meters makes that kind of unimportant, you know? Right now Shinji had problems thinking straight, let alone walking or fighting.  
  
Nonetheless, he felt the weight that settled on both of his sides.  
"I was starting to wonder when you would show up." He said calmly without looking up.  
Pepper and Spice looked at each other a little perplexed when the boy who had been running away from them in terror yesterday didn't move an inch and instead asked them why they took so long to get here…  
Shrugging, Pepper gestured for Spice to sit down on the fence and did so herself.  
"If you know who we are, why aren't you running like yesterday?"  
  
Taking his eyes off of the fight, which was slowly moving away from his position, Shinji looked over at the girl to his right with a raised eyebrow.  
"Would that do me any good?"  
  
Pepper grinned.  
"No. We know where you live, so we can always come back!"  
  
"How did you find us?"  
  
This time the other twin spoke up.   
"Remember yesterday when you thought you lost us?"  
  
Shinji's eyes widened as he finally put two and two together.  
'They must have followed me back to the dojo. But that means they were just toying with me yesterday!'   
Shinji's right brow started twitching  
'I don't believe it, ever since coming here; every person I meet is a frigging super human. And just how am I going to get out of this if they're that much better then me? Hey wait a moment…'  
Shinji's brow stopped twitching.  
'If they're so much better then me they can't expect me to beat them. That was probably all just fun and games. Maybe this isn't so bad…'  
  
Ranma narrowly avoided another swing from Shampoo's bonbori.  
  
'…for me at least.'  
Satisfied with his logic and coming to the conclusion that these two girls weren't out to get him (3) he relaxed visibly and decided that he had been a little rude up to that point and needed to remedy that.  
"We haven't been introduced, have we? I'm Shinji Saotome. Who're you?"  
  
The girl to his left smiled brightly.  
"I'm Pepper and that's Spice. We're twins and share everything with each other! So, are you all right now, or does your head still hurt?"  
  
Shinji felt his head and noted with amazement that it was now only throbbing dully, which was unpleasant but bearable.  
"Well...my head is only throbbing now, so I'll live."   
  
Suddenly Spice and Pepper jumped up.  
"All right" than they switched to mandarin we challenge you to a fight of marriage  
  
Shinji barely managed to avoid the kick to his head by hopping from the fence.  
He narrowed his eyes as he came to a standing position to regard the black-haired twins.  
They sure were impulsive, one moment they were talking and now they seemed intent on fighting.  
For a moment, Shinji considered running, but discarded the notion. He knew now that both were faster then him, so that wouldn't help.  
Oh well, he would give it his best shot and get this over with. If they wanted to beat him up, so be it, as long as he didn't have to marry them.  
  
As both girls came at him, Shinji wondered why Shampoo hadn't announced this fight of marriage like these two. Then he didn't have time to think as he started dodging and blocking blows from all sides. Pepper and Spice were grinning as they battered his defences.  
  
Shinji didn't like that grin…it showed they were toying with him.  
  
Deciding to end the fight fast, Shinji took one of Pepper's kicks to the ribcage and drove his fist into her unprotected gut.  
Then his world turned black as Spice's fist slammed into his still throbbing head….  
  
*******************  
  
Ranma dodged to the right and caught a glimpse of silver out of his eyes.  
He barely managed to twist his head backwards as a dagger whizzed past its previous location and imbedded itself in the well next to him.  
  
Shampoo didn't seem bothered and kept attacking with even more vigour.  
  
Suddenly his danger sense went haywire and Ranma jumped straight upwards.  
Under him, Shampoo clashed with another girl that had tried to sneak up on him.  
  
Glancing around while still in the air; Ranma finally saw the other three Amazons coming towards him from all directions.   
'They've got to be kidding me! There's no way I can dodge all of them forever!'  
  
Touching down, Ranma had to roll to his right as Shampoo and the girl who had blindsided him swung at him.  
That was the moment he was finally surrounded from all sides.  
  
Shampoo grinned at him.  
"You very very good, but Ranma have to fight back or no get out alive of this!"  
  
The girls, Shampoo included, produced rather menacing looking swords out of nowhere and Ranma started sweating.   
'Uh oh!'  
  
All of them charged at once and Ranma's face grew determined.  
He wasn't going to marry them and he wasn't going to die either.  
  
At the last moment, he moved towards Shampoo, ducked under her horizontal slash and jumped into her with all his might, carrying both of them far away from the circle of Amazons.   
  
Twisting in mid-air, Ranma landed on his feet, Shampoo cradled in his arms….well, that's at least how Ranma had planned it.  
Unfortunately the famous Saotome luck was at work once again and he managed to land in a puddle, causing him to slip, which in turn sent Shampoo to the ground headfirst.  
  
Ranma looked on with a sinking heart as the girl didn't move after the landing.  
Seeing how the other girls weren't advancing and only shaking their heads, he turned Shampoo over to find her unconscious.  
Cradling the girl's head in his lap, Ranma looked heavenwards with a hateful glare.  
"Can't you go and screw up someone else's life for once?"  
  
******************  
  
Somewhere else the god of mischief considered sending his pet dragon to teach Ranma a few manners.  
The boy was asking that question an awful lot lately.  
Didn't he know that it wouldn't change anything?  
  
******************  
  
End chapter 6  
(1) Get your mind out of the gutter! I won't make an orgy scene involving these four and our heroes.  
(2) Hey, even Cologne has a romantic side! Besides, I just couldn't resist that one. It came to me after I read the scene over and wondered just what Cologne would be reading…that was answer.   
  
(3) Hey, people can be really dense when they need to ignore a problem…especially Shinji  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Sorry I just couldn't resist that last scene. I won't be including any deities in this fic though.  
This chapter is surprisingly short…I blame it on my monkeys; they were awfully lazy this month.  
  
Oh, yes, and for all those of you who're thinking: 'Oh my god, he's going to turn Shinji into a second Ranma', don't worry. I won't make Shinji too strong; his sudden increase in aura will be explained later on. 


	8. SS7 Keeping Secrets

Chapter 7 – Keeping Secrets  
  
Slowly Shinji's mind crossed the boundary from sleep to consciousness and started collecting data.  
  
Only working on half power, Shinji's mind registered that whatever he was currently lying on was soft. Clearly remembering that his last location was the open street, which was definitely not soft, he sent out his hands to explore his surroundings. His left arm was trapped under something warm and soft and so his right hand was sent to find out more about the object lying next to him. Scouting the part of the object that was pressed against his side his hand encountered a very round, firm, and warm object that was topped with a stiff peak and covered with a silken material.  
  
Out of reflex his hands squeezed  
  
"mmmhhh! Airen is very bold, I like this very much."  
  
Needless to say _that_ brought Shinji's mind to full alert faster than a bucket of ice water ever could. Snapping his eyes open, the youngest Saotome tried sitting up, only to be pinned to the mattress by the shapely Amazon snuggling into his side. Any further attempts to break free were stopped by the crushing headache he finally became aware off.  
  
Groaning, Shinji rubbed his head with his free hand.  
  
"Is your head still hurting airen? Sorry, but sometimes I don't know my own strength."  
  
Shinji blinked twice, not having expected that turn of conversation in the least. Spice, he thought that was the twin whom he was talking to, didn't seem to mind that her body was pressed intimately into his. Under normal circumstances, Shinji would have been running for the hills by now, but since the girl seemed pretty comfortable where she was, he wasn't going to say anything, otherwise she might just decided to fight him again. Besides, he had to admit, the position was _very_ nice to be in.   
  
So he decided to solve more important matters.  
  
"Why are you calling me 'husband'? It's not like I defeated you in battle." He was surprised that his voice was only wavering lightly when he spoke in spite of the situation he was in.  
  
Spice smiled up at him mischievously and gave him an affectionate peck on the cheek.  
  
"Silly airen. Pepper and I knew that you couldn't defeat us in a fight. That's why we challenged you to 'fight of marriage'."  
  
Shinji gave her a confused and slightly dazed look, still feeling the after-effects of her kiss.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Spice giggled.  
  
"It's simple. Instead of the normal laws pertaining outsiders, a warrior can marry the outsider if she wishes so, after defeating him in a fight."  
  
Shinji looked at her crossly.  
  
"Seems you Amazons have covered every possibility eh? I mean no offence to you Spice, but I cannot marry you."  
  
Spice shook her head.  
  
"You have no choice in the matter. It is our law after all."  
  
Shinji pried the girl off his arm and sat upright to look the now sitting girl in the eyes.  
  
"It's not that you're a bad catch or anything, but I have a lot of things to take care of before I can even think of settling down."  
  
Spice frowned slightly.  
  
"There is no way around it. You're our husband now, and that means you have to come with us back to China!"  
  
"Please Spice, isn't there a possibility to go back to China at a later date?"  
  
Shinji swallowed, knowing what he would say next would bind him even further. It was a sacrifice he had to make.  
  
"As your future husband, all I ask is that you trust me in this. I will see about coming back to China and becoming your husband when my business is finished …but right now I can't...under no condition."  
  
Spice cocked her head to one side in consideration. It was obvious that Shinji was sincere when saying he would go back to China later on, but it wasn't her place to decide if this was to be allowed or not. In the privacy of her own thoughts she could admit to herself that she would have asked for the same, though. He probably wanted to say goodbye to friends and family, tie up some loose ends before moving on with his life.  
  
"I can understand your reasons…"  
  
'I doubt that' thought Shinji bitterly.  
  
"But it is not my place to decide this. You have to speak with my great-grandmother about that. I'll see what I can do, though. Wait here, I'll be right back."  
  
As Spice stood up, Shinji grabbed her wrist, causing her to turn around.  
  
He smiled at her warmly.  
  
"Thanks. This means a lot to me."  
  
Spice smiled back.  
  
"No problem. It's not like Pepper or I are in a hurry to marry either."  
  
Then she was gone, leaving Shinji to his own devices.  
  
***************  
  
Meanwhile at the Tendo Dojo  
  
Ranma was sitting in front of the couch, watching the sleeping form of Shampoo with some trepidation. It had been nearly half an hour since their fight and she still showed no signs of waking. How it was even possible for an accomplished martial artist to get knocked out by falling on his or her head was beyond him. It was just one of the things you had to accept or go crazy thinking about it.  
  
What had him worried wasn't Shampoo though. He already knew that she was now obligated to marry him; there was no way around that at the moment.  
  
No, what worried him was his little brother. He wasn't at home or where they had started the fight.  
  
At least he had some peace right now, even though Akane's battle-aura, which he could feel all the way from the dojo, was a little disconcerting.  
  
He had told the Tendos and his old man what had happened with the expected results.  
  
His old man and Soun immediately started raging and/or crying at him for betraying his fiancée while Nabiki simply smirked and walked away. It seemed she found the whole affair rather funny. Kasumi offered a weak smile and left to prepare dinner. Ranma couldn't even hold it against her. It wasn't like she could do anything to solve this newest problem.  
  
Akane on the other hand didn't waste time on words and simply bashed the table over his head. He awoke 5 minutes later without anyone inside the room, still lying where Akane had decked him.  
  
Ranma absently rubbed the bruise on top of his head.  
  
'Stupid tomboy, ain't my fault this happened. At least she saved me from listening to more of Soun's wailing. Bet him and the old panda have gone drinking again…..'  
  
Further degrading thoughts about Soun and Genma were stopped short when the lovely purple-haired girl on the couch groaned and opened her eyes.  
  
The moment her gaze focused upon Ranma, she smiled affectionately (or was that lecherously?) and rose from her position to kneel before him.  
  
Ranma didn't move a muscle when she leaned into him, her right hand coming up to caress his cheek.  
  
The Amazon gave him one last smouldering look…  
  
"Wo ai ni Airen!"  
  
and brought her lips to his in a passionate kiss that took his breath away and robbed him of all conscious thought.  
  
Shampoo held the kiss with her new husband. He wasn't reacting, probably too shocked or something. Taking his inaction for shyness Shampoo decided she needed to be a lot bolder here.  
  
She forced him to lie down and climbed on top of him, now bringing her tongue into play.  
  
'This is pure heaven!'  
  
Ranma came out of his stupor and slipped right into blind panic when a hand entered his pants and grasped something it shouldn't. With both his hands free he used one to push away Shampoo's upper body, freeing his mouth from hers in the process, while his other grabbed her wrist and jerked it out of his pants. Before the purple haired beauty could react, he rolled over to one side to come up with him straddling the girl. One of his arms was holding her hands above her head, the other was…  
  
'agggh, I grabbed her breasts!'  
  
..You get the picture, I think.  
  
As fate would have it, Akane, having vented her anger for now, chose exactly that moment to walk in on them.  
  
A red curtain of anger fell over her senses and she took a few threatening steps forward.  
  
Ranma noticed her and his eyes grew wide.  
  
"Wait Akane, I can explain!"  
  
Akane hesitated and she barely managed to reign in her anger.  
  
She had seen a lot of misunderstandings and weirdness involving her guests these past weeks, maybe she should hear Ranma out before getting violent? Shinji had said she should hear Ranma out before reacting, since things like that seemed to happen often….  
  
Shampoo moaned.  
  
Akane snapped.  
  
*Bam!*  
  
*crash*  
  
"Why meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" screamed the rapidly ascending form of Ranma, which could be seen disappearing through the newly created hole in the roof.  
  
Akane, having vented most of her ire by punting Ranma into the sky, glared at the hussy who was in turn looking up at her with a confused expression.  
  
"Why violent girl hit airen like that?"  
  
Akane glared some more.  
  
"I'm not violent! I'm his fiancée and I punished him for being a pervert. Not that I want to marry the jerk, mind you!"  
  
Shampoo's expression became unreadable as she stood up and regarded Akane closely.  
  
Akane felt like she was being measured and she tensed up slightly.  
  
Suddenly the Amazon snorted and walked out of the house without any further comment.  
  
Akane looked at the retreating figure and shook her head.  
  
"That was weird."  
  
Even after Shampoo was long gone, Akane didn't notice that she had called herself Ranma's fiancée, even though nothing of the sorts had been decided yet.  
  
***********************  
  
'It sucks to be me' Was the foremost thought on Shinji Ikari's minds as he sat on the bed he woke up on, sweating under the scary gaze of Ku Lon from the Amazons.  
  
Spice and Pepper, who were now both his wives under Amazon law, had arrived shortly after Spice had left with the elder in tow. Shinji, feeling guilty after hitting a girl, even though it was in a fight (he's still as wimpy as ever) apologized profusely, which got him a passionate kiss and a hug from said girl.  
  
While Shinji was left to get his mouth and brain back to working order, Cologne had ordered the girls to leave them alone.  
  
Once the girls had gone an uncomfortable silence settled over the pair, uncomfortable for Shinji at least.  
  
After a few minutes of staring, Cologne finally broke the silence.  
  
"So, what do you think son-in-law?"  
  
Shinji decided to pull a Ranma and say what was on his mind.  
  
"Who taught them how to kiss like that?"  
  
Cologne chuckled.  
  
"Now that would be telling! Let's just say it's one of many advantages of marrying them. They are two very fine women after all."  
  
Shinji simply nodded his head, she was right after all.  
  
Suddenly the old gnome was standing less than three inches from his face.  
  
"If you can admit that, then why do you want to wait until you commit yourself to them?"   
  
Her tone was measured but sharp.  
  
Shinji swallowed. What could he tell her that would warrant his continued stay in Nerima?   
  
It was tempting to just tell the truth since it was possible that she would believe him. Ranma did so, after all. Yet, he got the feeling that it would be a bad idea to tell her right now and Shinji had learned to trust his feelings from his time spent with Ranma.  
  
The adopted Saotome was desperately searching for reasons why he needed to stay in Nerima, yet each idea was discarded as fast as it popped up in his head. He didn't know how long it would take until a chance to find his Eva and get back home would show itself. That meant he needed a reason to stay here several years...something he just didn't have.  
  
Meanwhile Cologne's patience was wearing thin.  
  
"Come on sonny-boy, I don't have all day. Why do you want to stay here?"  
  
Having no idea what to tell his interrogator Shinji decided to copy a move from his father (shudder): Withhold information.  
  
"Elder, I would love to commit to these two, but I have some pressing business to take care of, that I _must_ solve under any circumstances. What that is, I cannot tell you at this point of time." He wisely decided not to add 'because I don't trust you and don't know what you will do.'  
  
Cologne narrowed her eyes. She was glad that she wasn't lied to, but she didn't like being left in the dark very much either. Pepper and Spice made it clear to her though, that they wanted her to respect his wishes, and so she did.  
  
"Very well son-in-law, I will grant your wish, but I will watch every move you make and if you make the slightest indication of playing me for a fool….you won't like the consequences."  
  
Shinji blinked, not having expected this to be so easy. Remembering his manners, he stood up and bowed deeply.  
  
"You will not regret your decision honoured elder. If you would excuse me now, I have to find my brother to keep him out of trouble."  
  
"You may try, son-in-law" Cologne said in a light tone "but I doubt you'll succeed with that."  
  
Shinji grimaced slightly. He had a feeling it was already to late to keep Ranma from defeating an Amazon, but he had to try.  
  
"Don't remind me. I'll be going now!"  
  
As Shinji left the room, shortly followed by the sounds of two amorous teenagers trying to smother him in affection, Cologne could only chuckle.   
  
'I'll keep my eyes on you, my little walking mystery.'  
  
**************************  
  
Sunday morning – somewhere in Nerima  
  
Soun Tendo smiled brightly at the huge panda next to him, which was carrying a big load of flyers in its paws, just like he did. They had just visited another friend of Soun who was more than willing to print their flyers for the new dojo, which Soun and Genma had designed just yesterday (amidst a lot of drinking).  
  
"Isn't this great Saotome? After all this time the dojo will once again teach students!"  
  
The panda would have answered, but with both paws occupied, writing a sign wasn't possible, so it's only answer was a growl.  
  
'Yeah, but I wanted it opened by my son you %&%$§. Now I'll never be able to retire!'  
  
Soun, totally unaware of his friend's unkind thoughts, started walking in a random direction.  
  
"Come on Saotome, the sooner we get all those flyers spread out over Nerima, the sooner we can start teaching, which in turn will secure the future of our school!"  
  
Crying at the injustice of it all Genma Saotome in panda-form followed his old friend to his first day of real work since…ever.  
  
**********************  
  
Back at the Tendo Dojo, someone else was hard at work.  
  
"Nabiki, don't you think this is a bit much?" Squeaked a blushing and half-naked Shinji-chan, currently in a very compromising position with an equally half-naked Ranma-chan.  
  
The only positive thing was that Ryouga wasn't here. The lost boy had wandered off somewhere yesterday and nobody had seen him since then. That was a very good thing because Shinji doubted Ryouga would have survived the massive nosebleed their current position would have provoked from him.  
  
"Shinji's right! We never said anything about this when talking about this photo shoot!"  
  
Grumbled a red-faced Ranma-chan, who was currently lying on top of Shinji, their faces mere inches from each other.  
  
Standing a few feet away Nabiki rolled her eyes.  
  
"Will you two stop bitching already? That's the last one, I swear. Now if you would please go into position?"  
  
Both boy-turned-girls sighed and pursed their lips while closing their eyes, as if to kiss each other.  
  
*clickclickclickclickclick*  
  
"Okay, you can stop now, we're finished."  
  
Nabiki had barely finished her sentence when both girls were standing a few feet apart from each other and dressing in their regular clothes.  
  
"Come on Shinji, let's spar a little, maybe then I'll forget what the perverts at school will do with these pictures."   
  
Both Saotomes shuddered when Ranma said this and redoubled their efforts to get the hell out of there, lest Nabiki got any other ideas.  
  
Once she was alone in the dojo, Nabiki smiled.  
  
"Damn that was hot! Next time I'll have to convince them to do this while one of them is male!"(1)  
  
************************  
  
Monday rolled by without any major events. No Amazons showed their face, Soun and Genma were actually doing paperwork to get the dojo covered legally and Akane clobbered Ranma every now and then since she was still angry about the whole Amazon business and he hadn't learned to keep his mouth shut.  
  
All in all it was one of the nicest weekends Shinji had had for the longest time.  
  
Then everything went straight to hell.  
  
He had been sitting in his classroom when several loud crashes indicated that someone was being overly violent, and it wasn't Kuno, since he was still out cold in the infirmary after this morning. When he saw Shampoo and Akane walking to the soccer-field with no Ranma in sight, he knew something was seriously wrong.  
  
As he stood up and ran out the door without saying anything, he just _knew_ his grades in this particular subject would be less than desirable this year.  
  
When he arrived at the soccer field only half a minute later, there was no one in sight.  
  
Looking around some more, he spotted Akane lying unconscious on the grass.   
  
Trying to wake her up, Shinji wondered where Ranma was when you really needed him.  
  
Before too long, Akane came around and looked up at him confused.  
  
"What happened? Where am I?"  
  
Shinji helped her to her feet.  
  
"You're at school. It seems you and Shampoo had a fight. Do you remember anything about it?"  
  
Akane scrunched up her face in concentration.  
  
"I can't remember any fight, but my hair sure feels silky, like someone washed it or something. Wanna touch it?"  
  
Shinji felt her hair and had to agree, it was pretty silky right now. That didn't stop him from staring incredulously though.  
  
"Why the hell would Shampoo wash your hair?"  
  
Ranma choose that moment to come sprinting towards them and come to a stop with a concerned expression on his face.  
  
"Hey Akane, you all right?"  
  
Akane blinked several times and looked Ranma up and down confused.  
  
"Do I know you?"  
  
Ranma blinked.  
  
"Of course you know me you tomboy! I'm Ranma Saotome!"  
  
Akane seemed to be thinking for a moment.  
  
"Nope never heard of you, who are you again?"  
  
Shinji slapped his forehead  
  
"Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, I think we might just have a problem here."  
  
*****************   
  
Later that day  
  
Cologne and the girls were closing the Cat Café down after the first day of business. It had already been settled whom Ranma and Shinji belonged to, so all other warriors had gone out on their own to maybe find a husband and return home afterwards. That left Shampoo, Spice and Pepper to help Cologne out at her temporary settlement.  
  
Needless to say the matriarch wasn't exactly elated when the door crashed inwards to reveal a very angry looking Ranma. Nonetheless, she took the time to annoy the kid some more.  
  
"My, my, that was a flashy entrance son-in-law. Of course, I expect you to pay for that door."  
  
If Ranma heard her comment, he made no indication.  
  
"What did you do to Akane, old ghoul?"  
  
Cologne tried to look innocent and failed miserably. (Hey, I want to see you succeeding with that when you have the face of a dried up old mummy!)  
  
"Why, I only had Shampoo remove her memories of you, because she seemed so unhappy knowing you."  
  
That only made Ranma angrier.  
  
Shampoo glomped onto him and started babbling. It was obvious she hadn't noticed Ranma's mood.  
  
"Now that violent girl no know you, Shampoo and airen can go marry."  
  
Ranma pried the purple-haired Amazon off of him and stalked towards Cologne.  
  
"Gimme the cure old ghoul or I'll..:"  
  
Cologne raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You will what? Fight me? You're a few hundred years to young to beat me son-in-law."  
  
"..or we will be forced to call a lawyer, honoured elder." Came a new voice from the front of the shop.  
  
All eyes turned to find an out-of-breath Shinji Saotome standing on the splinters of the broken front door. Spice and Pepper, who hadn't said a word up until now, squealed with delight and the next moment Shinji found himself the target of an Amazon double-glomp. The resulting blush on his cheeks made the steel-eyed look he gave Cologne a lot less impressive.  
  
Cologne raised an eyebrow at the display but ignored it in favour of the current conversation.  
  
"Oh, is that so son-in-law? First you request to stay here for the time being and then you want to use the law against us?"  
  
Shinji gave her a cold look (Gendotm), which made Cologne shiver involuntary and caused Pepper and Spice to loosen their grips slightly.  
  
"Yes, I intend to do just that. You don't have any right to do something like that to Akane. She hasn't done anything to you or your clan, so why did you erase her memories?"  
  
"Because she obstacle when fiancée of airen! She no remember airen, she no can be fiancée, is simple." Said a very proud looking Shampoo, who was still held at arms length by Ranma.  
  
Ranma looked at her wide-eyed.  
  
"Huh? Whoever said anything about her being my fiancée? We're just living with the Tendos right now!"  
  
Shampoo blinked.  
  
"Violent girl say so herself."  
  
Ranma scowled.  
  
"Well, Then you misunderstood something. I ain't her fiancée and she sure as hell wouldn't say that she is my fiancée either. ..uncute tomboy."  
  
Cologne pogoed over to Shinji on her cane.  
  
"Is what he says true?"  
  
Shinji nodded.  
  
"Yeah. We managed to convince our fathers to put off all this stuff about fiancées for half a year and see if one of the girls and Ranma would want to get together. Right now nothing is set in stone."  
  
"In that case; Great-granddaughter please follow these two and give this girl back her memories. No sense in stealing her memories if she isn't even competition for your husband."  
  
Soon after Cologne's declaration, Shinji and Ranma found themselves walking home with Shampoo clinging to Ranma's arm like a barnacle to a ship's hull, only much more affectionately. Fortunately Pepper and Spice had to stay behind to finish closing the restaurant; otherwise Shinji doubted he would have been able to walk all that far.  
  
**********************  
  
Some time later.  
  
Shinji, Shampoo and Akane came walking out of the bath.  
  
Shampoo had been instructing him on how to use the formula while Ranma waited outside because Akane was confused by his presence.  
  
Right now Akane was stomping towards a hopeful looking Ranma.  
  
Ranma became confused as Shinji mouthed several words that said as much as 'run as far away as you can!' and made strangling gestures with his hands.  
  
"Why should I run away Shin…"  
  
*BAM*  
  
Ranma never got to finish his sentence as Akane's mallet crashed down on his head.  
  
"Ranma you idiot! This is all your fault."   
  
With his head imbedded in the floor, Ranma groaned.  
  
'At least she has her memories back. Shinji coulda warned me a little earlier though.' He thought, shortly before he passed out.  
  
Shinji looked at his fallen brother then at the retreating Akane and sighed.  
  
'Something has to be done about the two of you.'  
  
Shampoo regarded Ranma's still form with confusion..  
  
"Aiya, violent girl too too stupid. Is she who made Shampoo misunderstand, not airen!"  
  
Shinji rubbed his temples.  
  
While Akane's actions became rather predictable over time, they didn't become any more understandable for him.  
  
"Who knows, Shampoo? Come on, I'll walk you home while Ranma is sleeping off his headache."  
  
Shampoo smiled brightly.  
  
"Shampoo glad you offer, brother of airen!"  
  
It was right there when Shinji gave himself another task, namely helping Shampoo with her Japanese.  
  
"Shampoo, I've got a name. Please use it. Calling people all sorts of things isn't polite."  
  
The purple-haired girl pouted.  
  
"Brother of ai….Shinji always so serious. Shinji should lighten up!"  
  
Shinji chuckled half-heartedly.  
  
"Sorry, I'm just trying to help."  
  
Shampoo waved him off.  
  
"Shampoo not angry, is glad Shinji wants to help. We must hurry now, Shampoo need to get back soon."  
  
Shinji nodded and the two set off into the night.  
  
"All right, let's hurry."  
  
When they finally arrived, Shampoo was ready to throttle Shinji, who had kept correcting her language all the way.  
  
And so life at the Tendos once again returned to normal. Not that this state of things was fated to last long, mind you.  
  
********************  
  
Later that week  
  
It had been a wonderful day for Ranma up until now. No Amazons had shown their face, he hadn't stuck his foot in his mouth the entire day and his brother seemed genuinely carefree for a change ( Ranma hadn't seen that before). All in all it couldn't have been much better (save for Kuno's appearance, but that couldn't be helped).   
  
That was the reason why Ranma was filled with a sense of dread when he walked home with Shinji and Akane. That feeling only intensified when he spotted the expensive looking white stretch-limo, which was parked before his current residence.  
  
"Say Akane, I didn't know your father knows someone with so much money."  
  
Akane, for her part, looked at the limousine very suspiciously.  
  
"He doesn't, at least as far as I know."   
  
Shinji shivered involuntary  
  
"Somehow I've got the feeling that we don't want to go in there. I just know father is responsible for this."  
  
Ranma slapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"Don't be such a pansy! I mean, the worst thing the old smelly panda could have done is engage me to another girl, right?"  
  
Shinji sighed, knowing that they had to go in anyway, and started walking towards the front porch, followed closely by Akane and Ranma.  
  
The moment Shinji entered the living room he found himself confronted by a burly man who had ridiculously oversized ears  
  
"Ah, finally we get to see your fiancée. Hello, I am Ishiro Daikoku."  
  
A vein popped up on Shinji's head as he shook the older mans big hand.  
  
"Ranma" He growled at the perplexed boy standing behind him "NEVER, EVER say anything about being engaged to another girl again…"  
  
Ranma laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
"Ah ah ah. Guess I shouldn't have said that eh?"  
  
Ignoring the questioning look on the fat man's face, Shinji looked around until he spotted his so called father cowering in a corner in the room.  
  
Giving Genma his glare of death, Shinji stalked over to him.  
  
"Just what did you do this time _father_?"  
  
Several people in the room wondered how the word father could be spoken with so much disdain and why it was suddenly so cold in the room.  
  
Genma only twiddled his fingers; already cowed because of the dressing down Soun had given him for his actions beforehand.  
  
Seeing how no answer was forthcoming, Shinji turned back to the fat man to see him animatedly speaking with Ranma.  
  
"I'm sorry I confused you back there Ranma, son! But now that you're here, look at your bride!"  
  
Saying so, the fat man pointed out the girl that was demurely sitting on one side of the table.  
  
Neither Shinji nor Ranma had noticed her before. She was clad in an elegant, bright white kimono that didn't give away anything. Her face was hidden by the pulled down hood and her hands were hidden within the voluminous sleeves of her robe.   
  
Yet, even without seeing her face one couldn't help but believe her to be very beautiful.  
  
"Isn't she a sweet darling? I doubt you can find a better wife than her in all of Japan. So, what do you say son?"  
  
That was Soun's cue.  
  
"I have to disappoint you, but as I've already said before Ranma already has a fiancée. He is to marry one of my daughters!"  
  
Mr. Daikoku shook his head.  
  
"I am afraid that won't happen Tendo-san. Saotome-san has already accepted the dowry and Kaori's engagement is therefore more valid."  
  
Ranma looked at his father suspiciously.  
  
"Just what did you sell me for this time old man?"  
  
This prompted Genma to undergo a transformation from whimpering fool to self-righteous bastard as he told the tragic tale of how he heroically saved his son's life by accepting the engagement.  
  
When Genma finished his tale, Mr. Daikoku looked confused.  
  
"I am sorry Saotome-san. But as I remember it you agreed to the engagement in exchange for some fish and two pickles. I can't remember anything about your son being mortally ill and needing something only I could give him."  
  
Ranma's eyebrow started twitching as he advanced on Genma  
  
"You sold me for TWO PICKLES AND SOME FISH?!!! That's it old man, you're gonna get beaten!!!"  
  
While Ranma stalked towards his worthless excuse for a father, Shinji nudged Akane.  
  
"Hey Akane, could you give me your mallet?"  
  
The girl shrugged, figuring Shinji wanted to cream the Panda as well.  
  
"Sure, here."  
  
Shinji quickly stepped in front of Ranma to block his path. Shinji gave Ranma a mischievous smile.  
  
"If you beat up the old panda, do it with style!" That said Shinji pressed the mallet into Ranma's hands.  
  
Genma started whimpering in his corner.  
  
"Okay, you old rotten Panda. It's time you got a taste of Akane's mallet!"  
  
Everyone quickly turned away as the massacre started.  
  
"YOU STUPID *Bam* GOOD FOR NOTHING *BAM* PANDA *BAM* HOW COULD YOU *BAM*….."  
  
(The rest of this admittedly one-sided argument is better left not described because unnecessary violence like that would probably raise the rating of this fic.)   
  
Ignoring the screams of pain coming from Genma, Soun continued the argument unhindered.  
  
"You cannot expect Ranma to marry your daughter because of such a dowry. Here I'll even give you the money for that Fish and the two pickles back. Now you can leave and find your daughter another husband."  
  
Mr. Daikoku shook his head.  
  
"I am afraid it's not that easy. This is a matter of family honor and not money. Genma made a pact with me to marry his son to my daughter and now I expect him to hold his end of the bargain."  
  
At that point a blue and bloody looking Genma crawled up to Mr. Daikoku with a triumphant smirk on what could have been his face.  
  
"That's right. I said my son is to marry you daughter, but Shinji here is also my son! Take him instead of Ranma!"  
  
Shinji, who had been listening to the argument, started flexing his right hand. He didn't like inflicting physical pain on anybody if it wasn't sparring, but right now he was sorely tempted to make an exception for his father. Instead he settled for a death-glare, which promptly shut the Panda up.  
  
Mr. Daikoku didn't seem to like the idea very much either.  
  
"No, I won't settle for Shinji, Saotome-san. When we made this arrangement, Ranma was your only son, and therefore Ranma is the son who has to fulfil our pledge."  
  
Then Mr. Daikoku's attention was drawn to his daughter, who cleared her throat to get his attention. The stocky man waddled over and held his ear to her mouth so she could tell him something.  
  
Ranma wondered how uptight one could be, but managed to keep his mouth shut for once. Pummelling Genma had done wonders for his mood.  
  
Suddenly Mr. Daikoku stood to his full height.  
  
"My daughter has made a proposition: There is a martial arts take out race next Tuesday in which one of your daughters and my Kaori are to take part. If Kaori wins, Ranma will be hers and Mr. Tendo has to drop his claim on the boy…and if she doesn't, she will settle for his younger brother."  
  
"AGREED!" Screamed an eager Soun and Genma, both of them sure Akane could beat the little prissy who couldn't even talk for herself. What happened to Shinji wasn't important at the moment anyway.  
  
Shinji and Ranma could only hang their heads: No matter what the outcome of this race, one of them would get another fiancée.  
  
"This sucks!" Was all the duo could say as Mr. Daikoku and his daughter left the house.   
  
************************  
  
Nabiki frowned as she looked over her mail. She had stayed behind at school to check up on her contacts and was still unaware of the new situation at home. That was a good thing because all of her attention was used up for her little pet project at the moment.  
  
Over the course of the last weeks, she had managed to pry the names of Shinji's parents out of the boy, while Ranma said he didn't even know if his mother was still alive. Mr. Saotome wasn't much help either, because he always avoided any questions about his wife and didn't know anything about Shinji. Normally she wouldn't have bothered checking up on the boys' history, but Shinji's uncertainty when he told her about his parents death made her wonder if that was the full story. So she had included Ranma in her little research just to be sure.  
  
That was the reason for her current activity. She had sent her contact all the information she had and told him to find out everything he could about the boy's family. Usually he had something after a week of research, which was the reason why Nabiki was looking _very_ intrigued at the moment. The contact had found Ranma's mother, all right. The question was why would Genma be so reluctant to talk about her? While Ranma's mother hadn't been the reason for this little adventure, Nabiki decided the woman would get a visit from her very soon.  
  
Yet, Mrs. Nodoka Saotome wasn't what intrigued her most.  
  
It seemed a Yui and Gendo Ikari, who had a son named Shinji, had never existed. _That_ was unexpected.   
  
Shinji didn't strike her as the type of guy who lied unless he had a very good reason to. Giving her houseguest the benefit of the doubt, Nabiki decided to wait another two weeks for her contact to find something before making her judgement. No need to alienate the only person who had actually tried to talk to her in a friendly manner because of an assumption. She wanted to be sure about this before she confronted Shinji..  
  
Still, she couldn't help but smile slightly as she started writing a mail to tell her contact he should keep searching.  
  
'I'll find out your secret Shinji, rest assured I will.'  
  
*******************  
  
Tokyo bay – same day  
  
Captain Hiro Yamaha watched the calm waters of the sea with a hawk-like gaze, seemingly searching for something.   
  
A few days back he had overheard two drunkards talking about something sticking out of the ocean floor that looked like a giant purple foot. While he didn't believe anything of what they told him, he could believe that it was the nose of a wreck that had been buried by the wake of time. Being a wreck diver, it was no surprise that he was out here trying to pinpoint the location the two drunkards had pointed out to him. He had enough money to uncover the little baby and who knew, maybe he would find something _very_ expensive down there.  
  
Suddenly a member of the second diving team broke the surface waving his hand in success.  
  
"We found it captain and I gotta admit it really looks like a friggin purple foot!"  
  
Hiro got a glint in his eyes. If his crewmember told the truth he could make more than just money from this.  
  
He had a feeling this would be his greatest find _ever_.  
  
End chapter 7  
  
************************  
  
(1) Don't know how that came about, but Nabiki always struck me as a pervert, damned if I knew why.  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Well, it seems slowly the pieces are coming together.   
  
How long will Shinji keep his little secret?  
  
Who will end up Kaori's fiancée?  
  
Is that really a purple foot sticking out of the ocean-floor or is the diver Mousse's brother?  
  
And how did that fish end up in my shoe?  
  
All this will or will not be answered in the next chapter. You'll just have to see.  
  
Last but not least I would like to thank my pre-readers NuStrike, Ranshin and kuracao for making this chapter readable. Thanks guys, you are the greatest! (important notice: the following omake was not spellchecked by them so you should be afraid)  
  
And now OMAKE TIME!!   
  
A knock on the author's (me) window captures his attention.  
  
Me: (opens window) who's that?  
  
EVA 01: ROAAAR! ROOAR ROOAR ROOOOAAARAAARRR ROAR! (Translation: Me! That better be not my foot sticking out of the ocean floor, I will _not eat dirt like that again!)  
  
Me:(sweating) ah...ah…ah…Hey ..ohm no prob, you know…I that isn't you down there, really...it isn't.  
  
EVA 01: (not convinced) ROAAAR! ROAAR ROAAAAROOAAR! (Translation: That's it! You're dinner!  
  
Me: HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!  
  
Kasumi walks in.  
  
Kasumi: Now, that's not very nice Mrs. Evangelion. Why don't you leave this to me and drink a cup of tea?"  
  
EVA 01: (nods dumbly, walks away and proceeds to drink from our neighbours' swimming pool after ripping it out of the ground)  
  
Kasumi: (frowns at me)And now Mr. Author you will explain why I didn't have a scene in this chapter….  
  
Me: eeeeeep…….  
  
I just wanted to show you what I have to go through to write this fic. Do you know what it feels like to be dressed down by Kasumi, do you? Thought so!  
  
THE HORROR!  
  
And do you know how much our neighbours are charging for that swimming pool? I'll be a poor man until the end of my life!  
  
Not to mention what EVA 01 did to their kid…Seems like humans make wonderful Eva-sized cookies. 


	9. SS8 Rising Pressure

Shinji Saotome  
  
Chapter 8 – Rising Pressure  
  
Ryouga Hibiki was lost...as usual. Shinji had given him the idea to try and concentrate while walking and even though his sense of direction had indeed improved somewhat, he was still hopelessly lost. Heck, just yesterday he had been in Tokyo one minute and in Moscow the next. Therefore, he didn't have a clue where he was now. At least he was back in civilization, where he could ask for directions. He walked up to a person on the street: A pretty boy who looked to be around his own age and was clad completely in black had just stepped out of a restaurant. "Excuse me, but do you know the way to Nerima?"  
  
The boy focused his gaze on him and regarded him quizzically. "Well yeah, all you have to do is keep walking on this street. In fact, I'm heading there myself."  
  
"Do you mind if I go along with you?" Asked an eager Ryouga.  
  
The boy looked at him suspiciously and fingered the handle of whatever weapon that was strapped to his back. "Why?"  
  
Ryouga scratched the back of his head nervously. 'I might as well just tell him.' "Well, you see...I have this problem with directions. As my friend Ranma would say it, 'I can't find my way out of a closet'."  
  
Suddenly the boy was standing directly in front of him with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Did you say Ranma? This wouldn't be Ranma Saotome, would it?"  
  
Ryouga took a step back. "Ah yes, that's him, all right. Do you know him?"  
  
The boy's face clouded over. "Yeah, I know him, all right. Come on, the sooner we get to Nerima, the sooner I can make that jackass pay."  
  
The next moment the boy was already walking down the street, which enabled Ryouga to see the big-ass spatula strapped to his back. 'What does he need a giant spatula for?' Then Ryouga quickened his pace to walk beside the other boy, he wanted to know what the stranger had against Ranma. "By the way, I'm Ryouga Hibiki."  
  
The boy glanced at him. "Ukyou Kuonji. Pleased to meet you, sugar." (1)  
  
After introductions were made, Ryouga, being Ryouga, got straight to the point. "What did Ranma do to you to get you so riled up?"  
  
Ukyou flashed him an angry look. "Oh nothing, the jackass just ruined my whole damn life."  
  
Usually Ryouga tended to miss sarcasm when it was used, but the way Ukyou's words were practically dripping with it even he couldn't miss it. Then the meaning of the words hit home and Ryouga couldn't help but chuckle. "What's so damn funny about that to you, jackass?"  
  
Ryouga winced. Laughing about something like that wasn't the best move to make. "Nothing, it's just that I thought exactly the same when I was searching for Ranma."  
  
Ukyou raised an eyebrow. "So the jackass has ruined your life as well? You seem awfully friendly with him for that."  
  
Ryouga shrugged. "Well, yeah, I used to blame him for everything that has happened to me, but someone made me see reason. Ranma maybe a self-centred, arrogant, insensitive jerk but he doesn't let anybody down. In fact, I'm pretty sure whatever happened between the two of you is either a big misunderstanding or his idiot father's fault." 'Wow that was actually meaningful!'  
  
Ukyou regarded him suspiciously. "You actually think I believe that?"  
  
Ryouga shook his head in resignation. "No not really. The only one who seems to be able to clear up this kind of situation without violence is Shinji. All I ask is that you don't go and try to kill Ranma the moment you see him. Let him explain the situation."  
  
Ukyou didn't react to his request immediately and kept walking for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was heavy with barely concealed emotion. "I...will try and keep my temper in check...no promises though."  
  
Ryouga didn't answer and simply concentrated on not getting lost. This was all he could ask for now.  
  
A few feet ahead of him Ukyou Kuonji was having an internal battle with herself. What the bandana wearing boy had told her threw her world view right out the window. She had been training 10 years to get revenge on Ranma for abandoning her and now this boy came by and tried to tell her it was all for nothing? No way! Maybe Ranma truly hadn't known what was going on, but Genma would get a beating, no matter what! 'Oh well, no use dwelling on that. Now if I only knew who this Shinji person is...'  
  
**********************  
  
At the same time  
  
Shinji and Ranma were watching Kaori, Akane and the other race participants when a chill ran down their respective spines. They looked at each other for a moment. "Do we want to know?" Ranma's voice sounded oddly resigned.  
  
"Even if we don't, you know as well as I that we'll find out anyway." Shinji's voice was just as resigned as Ranma's. He was getting far too many chills for his liking since he had met up with Ranma.  
  
It wasn't long before the announcer asked everyone to go into position. Akane and Kaori, who was still dressed in her cumbersome Kimono, were standing next to each other, takeout box in hand. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the annual anything goes martial arts takeout race. There are no rules concerning the actual race. Winner is the first lady to cross the finish line with her bowl of noodles, which is inside the takeout box, intact. Okay ladies, take up position, ready, set..."  
  
Suddenly Kaori Daikoku jumped straight up into the air and threw off her Kimono. Underneath the heavy garment a pair of black trousers and a blue blouse had been concealed. Landing lightly on her feet, Kaori smirked at Akane. "Did you know that our school specializes in martial arts takeout?"  
  
Akane decided not to comment on that, but cursed her bad luck inwardly. First she got roped into making sure Ranma the idiot wouldn't get another fiancée, which would lead to Shinji getting one, and now this girl was rubbing in that she didn't stand a chance. 'Just you wait Kaori, I'm going to show you what I can do!'  
  
Up in the bleachers, Genma and Soun glared at Mr. Daikoku. "Why didn't you tell us about this? We had a right to know!"  
  
Mr. Daikoku blinked innocently. "You never asked. And who knows, maybe your daughter can find a way to defeat a master of martial arts takeout? Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!"  
  
Needless to say even a delusional loony like Soun could see that his daughter was at a serious disadvantage here. So he did the only logical thing in such a situation: "WAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" ...He started wailing using wail #569 (I feel cheated) and wail #570 (the schools will never be joined because Ranma has another fiancée!) to let the world know of his misery.  
  
Next to him, Genma wondered how much water it took for his curse to activate.  
  
"BWAAAHHHHHHHHHH" *poof*  
  
The Panda sitting next to Soun frowned. 'At least now I have my answer'  
  
Next to the starting line, Ranma and Shinji looked wide-eyed at the newly revealed girl. Ranma cursed his bad luck and sighed. "Well, if she's really a master of martial arts takeout I can guess who gets her as fiancée...No way the tomboy can beat her."  
  
Shinji shrugged. "Look at the bright side Ranma, at least she's cute."  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes. "Wow, that's a real consolation."  
  
Meanwhile the announcer had finally gotten his bearings back and finished what he had started. "...GO!" *bang*  
  
Like a thunderstorm, the whole field started moving forward with Kaori and Akane in the lead followed closely by....Kodachi Kuno!!????.  
  
Next to the start line, Ranma and Shinji looked at Kodachi wide-eyed. Neither had seen the girl before the start. "What the hell is _she_ doing here?" Shinji wasn't at all happy about her appearance. Past references showed that she usually spelt trouble either for him or Ranma.  
  
Ranma, whose opinion of the deranged girl was only marginally better, made a face. "I don't know, but it can't be good. Come on, I wanna see what happens!"  
  
***************************  
  
Akane ran as fast as she could without losing her delivery box, but no matter how fast she was going, Kaori was always next to her, smiling like this was nothing more than a walk in the park. "So Akane Tendo, do you want me to show you a few of my school's techniques?"  
  
Akane didn't answer and poured on the speed. Kaori kept even as usual. "I will take your silence as a yes. DELIVERY CASE CRUSH"  
  
Akane jerked her box upwards when Kaori stabbed at it with her fingers. Kaori missed and instead hit the box of another contestant, reducing it to fine dust. Needless to say the girl who just lost her box looked a little disbelieving.  
  
Kaori seemed a little surprised as well. "It seems I didn't give you enough credit Akane-san. Very well, another try: DELIVERY CASE CRUSH"  
  
Once again Kaori missed Akane's takeout box. "Will you stop it already? What do you think you're doing?"  
  
Kaori blinked. "What do you mean? It isn't named 'Anything goes' for nothing, you know?"  
  
Akane gave the other girl a dark look. "All right...two can play that game! HYIA!"  
  
This time it was Kaori who found herself pressed to keep her box intact. Akane missed her as well. The contestant who was just about to overtake Kaori wasn't so lucky and found herself sprayed with the contest of her box.  
  
Kaori and Akane smirked at each other "I'll cream you!"  
  
From her position behind the two battling teens, Kodachi could only watch with grudging respect. She may have been a madwoman, but she wasn't blind. It was clear that Kaori had a lot of skill, and it seemed since she had last met Akane, her quasi-rival for her Ranma-darling had polished her abilities as well. Of course, the black rose wasn't there to win this silly competition, no her motivation to be here lay somewhere else. Sasuke, whom she had ordered to keep an eye on her beloved, had told her of this contract the fathers had made. While Kodachi wouldn't have minded to see Ranma free from the clutches of the Tendo engagement, she didn't want the Daikoku girl as a rival either, because Kaori's family had as much, if not more money than the house of Kuno. And money was a _very_ powerful ally that the Tendos didn't have. That was why she preferred the Tendos to this girl. While they had a valid engagement, she had a lot of money to go around with. Kaori on the other hand had both ... The fact that Kaori's loss would result in her being engaged to the little twerp Ranma called his brother was very unfortunate in Kodachi's mind, but it wouldn't stop her from getting what she wanted. She planned on giving the other girl her regrets for getting such filth as fiancée after the race was over, though (2).  
  
Yet, it seemed like Akane was holding her own and for the moment was not in need of her assistance.  
  
***********************  
  
Up on the rooftops, Ranma was following the field with Shinji in his arms, because the latter *still* couldn't roofhop. Both of them looked at the trail of destroyed takeout boxes and devastated opponents with interest. "Seems like Akane and Kaori are really going at it. They sure have thinned out the field. The training I did with Akane over the last weeks helped a little in evening things out." Shinji was clearly surprised that two people could cause so much mayhem while fighting each other.  
  
Ranma snorted slightly. "I very much doubt that Shinji. Akane may have gotten better because of your regular sparring matches but she doesn't stand a chance if Kaori is truly a master of her style. Heck, you know as well as I do that you've already surpassed her, even if only barely."  
  
Shinji looked up at Ranma, slightly confused. "She doesn't? I have?"  
  
Ranma didn't answer but started going a little faster instead. He didn't want to miss the end of this race.  
  
**********************  
  
Kaori was starting to get frustrated. It was clear that her current tactic of simply attacking Akane's delivery box wasn't working, so maybe she needed to get a little more personal. She evaded another of Akane's attacks and slowed down a little. When Akane was a good 15 feet in front of her she attacked. "UNBREAKABLE NOODLE NOOSE"  
  
When she heard Kaori's cry, Akane turned around only to see a rope made out of noodles wrap itself around her right ankle. Akane couldn't fight inertia and found herself toppling over "Ahhhhhhhhhh...." *thud* Akane breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her box was still balanced on her right hand, it was the only thing that didn't hit the ground when she fell. Unfortunately that wasn't the end of it. The moment Akane tried to put weight on her ankle again, a sharp pain shot up her leg. This hindered her mobility and left her wide open for the next attack Kaori was preparing. Akane turned around to her opponent. No way was she going down without a fight.  
  
"I think we should finish this now, don't you agree Akane-san?" Her posture made it clear that Kaori was sure that she had already won.  
  
That changed very fast when a ribbon came out of nowhere and wrapped around her, preventing her from dishing out any further punishment. "I agree fully, Ms. Daikoku. Why don't we get a little more acquainted while Akane Tendo finishes her race?"  
  
Kaori glared at the interfering girl. "What do you think you're doing? I will get you for this! And why are you helping her?"  
  
"Yeah, what are you doing Kodachi?" Akane was just as surprised at Kodachi's sudden appearance as Kaori.  
  
Kodachi gave Akane a haughty look. "My motivations are of no concern or you, I doubt you would understand anyway. Now, instead of asking silly questions, would you please finish this race? "  
  
Akane glowered at the snobbish pony tailed girl, but started limping towards the finish line, which was already in sight, anyway. She could care less why Kodachi was doing this.  
  
******************  
  
Up on the rooftops Ranma and Shinji watched as Akane limped over the finish line while Kodachi held Kaori in check with her ribbon. Needless to say Shinji looked a little down. While he didn't know Kaori that well yet, he wasn't looking forward to having her as fiancée. This would only further complicate things.  
  
Suddenly the depressed boy found himself grabbed by Ranma and both of them sailed down towards the street, right next to Akane. While sailing down to street level Ranma smirked. 'This should help to get Shinji out of his funk.' The pigtailed martial artist had immediately noticed when Shinji's mood turned dark thought that distracting his brother was a good idea to keep him from worrying too much. This didn't have anything to do with Akane. Nope, he wasn't the least bit concerned about the tomboy.  
  
*****************  
  
Akane sank to her knees the moment she crossed the finish line, totally ignoring the audience, which was applauding her victory. Her ankle hurt like hell. At least her father would be happy that Ranma was still engaged to them.  
  
She didn't even acknowledge Ranma's arrival when he landed in front of her with nary a sound, Shinji held in his arm. "Congratulations on your victory Akane." Said Ranma by ways of introduction while setting Shinji down on his own two feet.  
  
Akane looked at him like he was crazy. "And just what about this victory is good huh? I only agreed to this because daddy would have been angry otherwise and now I even got a sprained ankle for my troubles! Do you think I'm happy you're still engaged to me or my sisters?"  
  
"Hey it ain't like I'm *oof*" Shinji removed his elbow from Ranma's side and looked at him innocently. His older brother still hadn't learned to keep his mouth shut so he had to help him a little from time to time. Ranma for his part mumbled something about little smartass brothers but got the message anyway. There was no need to aggravate the situation further by hurling insults at Akane. Now what to say to her... "Ah...uhm...what I wanted to say is...you know, it's not like we had any say in this. Why don't we call it a truce for now? There's no reason for us to kill each other over this stupid engagement right now. Let's just forget it for the now.... Friends?" A hopeful note entered his voice as he stuck out his hand for Akane to take.  
  
Akane looked at the hand doubtfully. She knew Ranma had wanted to insult her again at first, but his proposal sounded sincere enough. Besides, she could live with him far better as a friend than as fiancée...at the moment. She accepted his hand and he pulled her to her feet. "All right, friends...for now."  
  
Ranma gave her a roguish smile. "Good, and as your friend, my first action will be to get you to Doctor Tofu to check that ankle of yours."  
  
The next moment Akane found herself swooped up in his arms and then they where jumping away. "Ranma you dummyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Next time give me a little warning...."  
  
Shinji smiled slightly as he watched the duo disappear over the rooftops. He had been a little surprised that Ranma had actually made that suggestion. By elbowing Ranma he had only wanted to keep him from insulting Akane, but this was infinitely better! Maybe as friends these two could get along better than as potential fiancées.  
  
It wasn't long before Kodachi and Kaori came walking towards him. The glare Kaori was directing at Kodachi was speaking volumes about what she thought of Kodachi's earlier interference. The leotard wearing nutcase was totally ignoring the hostile looks sent her way and focused her attention on him instead. "Where is the harlot I helped win her match, peasant?"  
  
Shinji's eyebrow twitched slightly. Normally it took a lot to get him angry...but a few words from this nutcase were enough to make his blood boil. Instead of reacting to the disdainful way she spoke, he gave a mock bow towards her and coated his following words with as much sarcasm as possible. "Why my lady, your love interest has taken her to see a doctor because of her bruised ankle. Methinks her health is more important to him than yours."  
  
"I am surprised to receive such concern from your end, peasant. Thank you for the information. I will be going after my Ranma-sama now!" Without waiting for him to reply Kodachi was bounding away.  
  
Shinji pried his face from the concrete after his face fault. 'What the hell? How could she _not_ have noticed I was making fun of her????'  
  
Recovering from her own face fault Kaori had to wonder the same thing. Even she could tell her ...fiancée...had ridiculed the other girl and she hadn't noticed?  
  
Then Kaori looked at Shinji.  
  
Shinji looked at Kaori.  
  
An awkward silence ensued.  
  
Shinji shifted on his feet. This had to be one of the most awkward moments in his life.  
  
Kaori shifted on her feet as well. This _was_ the most awkward moment in her life.  
  
After nearly two minutes Shinji, being more used to these situations, was the first to speak. "Guess that's means we're fiancées now?"  
  
Kaori smiled weakly. "Uhm yeah, seems like it. ...I'm sorry for making you look like second rate for picking your brother at first."  
  
Shinji waved it away. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I can understand why you preferred Ranma. He's as old as you, he's a far better fighter than me and he looks better. I can't really blame you for your choice at all."  
  
Kaori frowned slightly. Her new fiancée had a serious attitude problem. She walked up to him and gave him a playful punch in the arm. "Now, listen here. I won't have my new fiancée degrading himself! Our age difference isn't all that bad. Fighting isn't everything in life and you don't look too shabby yourself."  
  
Shinji blushed slightly. Compliments had that effect on him. "Ahh, thanks I guess."  
  
Kaori shrugged. "Nothing to thank me for, I only told you the truth. You just need to stop putting yourself down."  
  
Shinji's shoulders slumped. "I know, I know. Ranma has been telling me the same thing since I first met him. You should have seen me back then! I was a real wreck."  
  
Kaori smiled and wrapped her right arm around his waist, causing our resident wimp...eh...I mean Shinji...to blush. That his face was only a few inches from her bust thanks to Kaori being over 6 inches taller than himself didn't help matters either. His reaction didn't go unnoticed by Kaori, causing her to smile even more. She wasn't normally this bold, but Shinji looked like the type of guy who needed a very forward girlfriend. "Well, that only proves I can work with you! I'll have you bursting of confidence in no time. But now we should get back to daddy so we can work out a date for our marriage."  
  
Shinji stiffened at the word marriage. 'I'm only 14 for Christ's sake! Besides I can't marry!' "Uhm...listen Kaori-san...there are a few problems involved with that."  
  
Kaori raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and what would those be? Don't tell me you already have a fiancée as well."  
  
"You're quite right child, he has...two actually."  
  
Shinji winced. 'This won't be pretty:'  
  
Kaori let go of Shinji and whirled around, only to squeak slightly when she spotted the hideous creature before her. "Eep...it's a mummified white-haired dried-up monkey!"  
  
Cologne bopped the girl on the head with her cane. "You shouldn't speak like that about your elders child. I admit you have a lot of creativity though, I haven't heard that one yet. Now let me introduce you to somebody: Pepper and Spice, they're Shinji's wives under Amazon law."  
  
Pepper and Spice stepped forward and bowed. For now things would be kept civil. "Pleased to meet you."  
  
Kaori regarded the girls for a moment. Both looked around the same age as Shinji. Their long black hair was falling freely down to mid-back and even at this age the girls had curves in all the right places. There was no doubt in her mind that these two could give her a run for her money in the looks department once they were old enough. Not good. Finished with her short analysis, Kaori bowed to them as well. It wouldn't do to antagonize a potential rival because that lowered the chances of solving this problem in a diplomatic manner. "Likewise."  
  
Standing at full height, Kaori looked at the Amazon trio intently. "Now then, if you would please tell me how Pepper and Spice came to be Shinji's wives?"  
  
It didn't take long until Kaori was told the full story by the Amazons with Shinji throwing in a few comments where he felt it needed. Needless to say once they were finished, Kaori looked a little incredulous, as did several other people who had been listening in. "You're telling me he's their husband because he wasn't strong enough to beat them in a fight he didn't even want?"  
  
Cologne nodded. "Basically, yes." Then she noticed that a lot of people were listening in now that the last participator of the race had crossed the finish line. It seemed they were a lot more interesting than the fat panda(aka Genma) who was just now taking the prize for Akane's victory into his paws since Soun was still crying and he hadn't managed to get him out of it. She glared at the patrons surrounding them and brought her aura into the visible spectrum. "I would advice all of you to leave and do something else." And leave they did...some with soiled pants.  
  
Kaori was too angry to have cared for Cologne's little display. Her left eyebrow was currently twitching up a storm. "You do realize that's tantamount to rape, don't you?  
  
Pepper glared at Kaori . "That's not true!"  
  
Kaori looked her in the eyes. "Oh it isn't? I don't know, but he has no say in being your husband or not and he doesn't have any chance to get out of it....sounds pretty much like rape to me in the end."  
  
Spice, whose temper was now flaring as well, stepped forward threateningly. "Our husband has a chance to get out of this arrangement!"  
  
Shinji blinked. "I have?"  
  
Pepper and Spice winced, realizing their temper had gotten the better of them. The accusation hurled their way stung a lot. In their village every man who tried to rape a woman (not that there were any) would die and yet they were doing nearly the same because it was only logical that Shinji would have sex with them at some point in time if he were to be their husband...willingly or not. Looking at things like that may have been a little extreme, but still true. Both of them knew there was only one way for them to disarm Kaori's argument. They nodded at each other and bowed to Shinji in tandem. "Hereby we give you the power to be free and dissolve our marriage at any point in time if you so wish."  
  
Behind the twins Cologne nearly fell from her cane. Pepper and Spice had just given Shinji the 'binding of love'. It was a law that could only be used when a husband, outsider or tribesman, was won by the 'fight of marriage' and gave him the power to dissolve the marriage without any repercussions for both parties. Officially it was used for an Amazon to show her deep love, trust and respect for a weaker husband but if she remembered correctly this particular law had been designed to give Amazons who had second thoughts about forcing somebody into marriage; a way out without loss of honour for both sides. Weird as it sounded, the law had been made some 600 years ago after someone brought up just the same point as Kaori for discussion. Yet, as interesting as all of that was, her concern lay with Shinji. It was clear to her that the lad had something big on his mind and would rather have done without marrying anybody. Therefore it wouldn't be much of a surprise if he dissolved their marriage right on the spot. Shinji could only look at his 'wives' dumbly. "You mean I can just say I don't want to be married to you and *poof* that's it?"  
  
Pepper and Spice nodded sadly and Pepper spoke for them. "Yes, you can do that. We wouldn't want to force you into marrying us; the decision is up to you."  
  
Shinji had an unreadable look on his face. "Then why didn't you do this sooner? Last week you were insisting that I was your husband and there was no way around it."  
  
Both girls looked rather guilty. "We just wanted to make sure you got to know us and after that we would have told you. You have to believe us."  
  
Shinji looked from Pepper to Spice and back, both of them had their head bowed in shame. Needless to say, seeing any girl like this melted Shinji's heart faster than any N2 mine ever could. "Hey, don't be so glum. We can still get to know each other better and after that I can decide. Is that all right with you two?"  
  
Both girls looked up at him with surprise written all over their lovely features. "Thank you!"  
  
At that point Kaori decided to get back into the conversation. "Now wait a moment there Shinji-kun. You still have to marry me, so why don't you just end this farce and we can be on our way."  
  
Pepper looked at her sharply. "Oh, so now that we showed that we aren't forcing Shinji to anything you try to get him with the same technique. I believe you called it 'tantamount to rape'?"  
  
Kaori winced as if struck. That had hit home far closer than she wanted to admit. The disappointed expression Shinji directed her way didn't help either. She probably sounded like a cold-hearted bitch to the man she was to marry. That wouldn't do. She knew her father would give her hell for what she was about to do, but anything was better than marrying somebody who hates or ignores you because he thinks you to be a cold-hearted bitch. Lowering her head she sighed. " I am ..truly sorry for what I just said. I am making you the same proposal as Pepper and Spice just did. We can get to know each other better and after that you may decide which one of us you want to marry, if any of us."  
  
Shinji looked very nervous and confused all of a sudden. Kaori had basically given him the chance to marry or not marry whoever he wanted. While this brought a lot of freedom...it also brought a crushing responsibility. Before he had met Ranma, Shinji would have broken off all engagements without a second thought, believing himself not worthy of any of these women without regarding their feelings on the matter; But he had learned that you couldn't run from everything and not look back without hurting someone and doing that wasn't on his list of 'things to do'. "I...thank you Kaori...if you will excuse me now, I need a little time for myself."  
  
No one stopped him when he started walking away because Cologne stopped the girls by shaking her head. Once he was out of sight, Cologne regarded them all. "He needs a little time alone to sort this out. You have just put him into a position where he can reject all of you, but in doing so he would hurt your feelings and judging from the fact that he didn't jump at this chance of dissolving the engagements, I suspect he does not like harming anyone's feelings." Suddenly her tone took on a more dreamy quality "Such a considerate boy, he would make the perfect Amazon husband...aahhh to be 280 years younger again..." (3)  
  
Kaori, Pepper and Spice started edging away as Cologne started daydreaming. This was just too creepy.  
  
*****************  
  
Kaori and her father were currently sitting in their limo facing each other. The glare Kaori was giving her father could have melted through steel. "Goddammit father, I will not force Shinji into marriage. Either you give me this chance to get to know him on a friendly basis or we can go home right now!"  
  
Mr. Daikoku regarded his daughter coolly. When she had set her mind to something it was almost impossible to talk her out of it. "What about family honour? Would you just throw that out the window?"  
  
Kaori gave him a flat stare. "Better honourless married to a man I love than married to somebody who hates me! All you have to do is give your approval and honour won't be an issue!"  
  
Mr Daikoku sighed. Before they had come to Nerima his little girl didn't have any objections, but now she seemed almost appalled by the idea of marriage because of some promise made between fathers. He didn't understand it, but he loved his little girl too much to not to give into her demands. "Very well Kaori, you may decide if you want to marry Shinji on your own. I will see to it that you get enrolled in school here and find you a nice place to stay so you can visit you fiancée anytime you want."  
  
Immediately Kaori's face lit up. "Thanks daddy!"  
  
Mr Daikoku sighed. "You're welcome darling."  
  
********************  
  
Later that week  
  
Ranma was walking home alone. He had gotten detention for beating the crap out of Kuno and had to stay behind while Shinji and Akane had gone home. Today even Nabiki had gone home right after school.  
  
When Cologne landed on the fence he was walking on; he just knew this shitty day was about to get even shittier. "What do you want old ghoul?"  
  
In contrast to Ranma's voice, Cologne's was light and reprimanding. "Aren't you happy to see me son-in-law?"  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes. "No, of course not! What do you want?"  
  
Cologne smirked, causing Ranma to cringe. She was really ugly like that. "I want to fight you son-in-law. I haven't been interfering up until now in hopes that you would willingly come with us, but it seems that won't happen."  
  
Ranma gave her an arrogant smirk of his own. "Bring it on old ghoul! There's no way you can beat me!"  
  
"We will just have to see about that son-in-law." Cologne seemed unconcerned as she got into a ready stance (as ready as you can get while balancing on a cane.)  
  
Ranma did likewise and neither of them moved for nearly a minute. Cologne sighed. "I didn't come here to stare at you." The next moment Ranma was frantically trying to dodge hundreds of jabs and punches thrown in his direction by Cologne. It didn't take long before his defence was overwhelmed and Cologne struck several points all over his body. Then the onslaught suddenly stopped and she was once again standing ten feet away like nothing ever happened. "You're not bad son-in-law, but you're a hundred years too young to beat me."  
  
Ranma looked at her in defiance. "Hah, what do you know? I barely felt the few hits you landed."  
  
Cologne grinned, causing Ranma once again to wince. "That's good for you. I hope you like my present."  
  
The next moment Cologne was hopping away from his position. Once she was out of sight Ranma groaned and toppled over straight into the canal next to the fence they had been fighting on. After a mighty splash a now female Ranma dragged herself out of the water and lay down. The few punches Cologne had landed hurt like heck and even though she hated to admit it, Cologne was right. She was a hundred years too young to beat her. And just what was that about a present? 'Oh well, I can figure it out later, wanna go home and back to male first.'  
  
******************  
  
A little later  
  
Ranma walked into the kitchen to find Kasumi _not_ preparing a meal but reading a book. Before she could even say anything the older girl gestured to a kettle on the stove. "I have already heated some water for you."  
  
Ranma blinked. "Uhm, thanks...how did you know?"  
  
Kasumi smiled. "Because you almost never make it back home being male."  
  
Ranma shrugged her shoulders. That made sense. Then she reached for the kettle and grabbed the handle. "YOWZA, HOT HOT HOT!!!!"  
  
Kasumi looked at Ranma confused. "What's wrong Ranma-kun? The kettle can't possibly this hot."  
  
Ranma stopped blowing her hand and glared at the kettle like it was her mortal enemy. "I don't know Kasumi, sure felt like my hand was on fire."  
  
Kasumi shook her head. "Really Ranma-kun, you and your antics. Sometimes I think Shinji is older than you. Here I'll even pour the water over you myself." Saying so, Kasumi took the kettle into her hands. Ranma looked a little surprised but shrugged it off. It was probably just a fluke or something.  
  
Of course, when Kasumi started pouring water over her hand Ranma revised her opinion very quickly.  
  
********************  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Shinji and Akane froze in their current activity, namely kicking the crap out of each other when they heard the ear-splitting scream. "That sounded like Ranma." Shinji did clearly not believe his ears. Ranma _never_ screamed like that  
  
"Yeah, wonder what the baka did now." Akane was simply annoyed at the interruption. She was sparring with Shinji on a regular basis now and as much as she hated to admit it, this way she was improving a lot faster than before. Being interrupted didn't exactly sit well with her because getting Shinji to fight her a second time would be almost impossible. The guy was too tame for his own good! What irked Akane even more though was the fact that Shinji was actually better than her even when she fought with a clear head now. How someone who wouldn't hurt a fly to save his life could have such a talent for martial arts was beyond her.  
  
Shinji on the other hand didn't mind the interruption. Frankly he felt a little uneasy sparring with Akane because he knew he could hurt seriously her if he didn't watch himself. The chance was slim, but it was there. With Ranma or Genma he didn't have that problem and could always go all out because he knew both of them could take everything he dished out a hundred times over. Yet it seemed he was the only one who wasn't satisfied with the current arrangement. Akane didn't want to fight Ranma, because he would just keep dodging her no matter how much Shinji had tried to convince him to fight her for real and Ranma didn't want to fight Akane because 'he didn't like fighting girls.' Shinji could have used the same argument himself, but he didn't. Otherwise Akane might have blown a blood vessel out of frustration while fighting Ranma. Therefore it wasn't a great surprise that Shinji was out of the dojo faster than Akane could tell him to stay.  
  
To Shinji's great surprise Ranma wasn't missing a limb or anything equally lethal when he found her in the kitchen. Ranma-chan was currently cooling her left hand under cold water and a concerned and guilty looking Kasumi stood by. Needless to say the situation confused the hell out of Shinji. Ranma wouldn't have screamed unless he was missing a limb, so what was going on? "What happened? I heard Ranma screaming all the way to the dojo."  
  
Ranma turned her attention from her now pleasantly numb hand and looked at Shinji. "I don't have the slightest clue, but somehow I've become extremely sensitive to heat. I couldn't even hold the damn kettle without burning my hand. I thought it was a fluke and let Kasumi pour the water on my hand...and well...it felt like someone was pouring lava over me."  
  
"I'm so sorry Ranma! I didn't know!" Kasumi had her head buried in her hands and seemed to be holding back tears.  
  
Seeing Kasumi crying wasn't an option in Ranma's book though and so she walked over to the distraught girl and patted her on the back awkwardly. "Hey Kasumi, it's all right. It wasn't your fault and I'm all right now."  
  
Kasumi looked up, her face hopeful. "Really?"  
  
Ranma nodded.  
  
"Thank you Ranma-kun!" said Kasumi as she hugged the smaller Ranma-chan affectionately. "I'll even make you your favourite meal for dinner!"  
  
Ranma was blushing bright red by the time Kasumi let her go and even the proper Tendo sister was blushing a little as she realized what she had just done. Deciding to end the embarrassing situation Shinji spoke up. "And you have no idea how this happened Ranma?"  
  
Ranma shook her head. "No, I don't have...hey, wait a second." She remembered back to her fight with Cologne. " I hope you like my present...so that's what the old ghoul did. She's so gonna pay for that."  
  
As Ranma stormed out of the kitchen, Shinji barely managed to latch onto her arm. "Ranma, take it easy. I'll go with you! I don't think Cologne will react very well to you storming into her restaurant and ruining her front door _again_."  
  
Ranma glanced at Shinji coldly, making the younger boy shiver as a slight tremor of fear ran down his spine. When Ranma spoke, her voice was decidedly cold. "Okay, but I don't promise anything. I will _not_ waste away the rest of my life as a girl, no matter what you say!"  
  
Shinji thought it best not to say anything else and instead tried to follow Ranma's furious pace to the best of his ability.  
  
***********************  
  
Several patrons sitting in the Cat Café decided now was a good time to go when a very angry redhead stalked through the entrance with murder in her eyes. Some of them patted the poor boy walking slightly behind her on the back. It probably wasn't easy to deal with such a fiery girlfriend...if they only knew how much experience he had with angry redheads. Shampoo, who was currently witnessing their entrance, would have jumped her airen anyway, but she was too busy juggling several plates of food at once. Shinji wondered why everybody gave him sympathetic looks while Ranma simply ignored everyone. "Old ghoul, I know you're here, come out now!"  
  
A moment later Cologne came hopping into view from the kitchen. "Hello son-in-law, hello Shinji, what can I do for you?"  
  
Ranma glared at her. "You can undo whatever you did to me!"  
  
Cologne chuckled. "I'm afraid it won't be so easy son-in-law. You have two choices: Go back to our village and become Shampoo's husband willingly or ..." she held up what looked like a pill that was hanging on a necklace. "...you manage to get the Phoenix pill from me! It will undo the full-body cats-tongue pressure point I afflicted you with."  
  
Ranma glared at her some more. "I'll have that pill faster than you know!"  
  
Without prior warning Ranma dashed forward faster than Shinji could follow and tried to snatch the pill from Cologne's outstretched hand. The old crone evaded her grab easily and cackled as the next dozen attempts to capture the pill also failed. When Ranma stopped attacking to find a way to get the pill, Cologne used the break to speak again. "Did you really think it would be that easy son-in-law? You are too confident in your own abilities for your own good. Nonetheless I will give you one last pointer on how to get the pill, if you would please follow me. Shampoo, Spice and Pepper can take care of everything for a few minutes."  
  
Grudgingly Ranma followed Cologne out the backdoor; she needed every advantage she could get in this. Shinji decided to follow them before either Spice or Pepper, who were currently working in the kitchen, spotted him. He wanted to know what Cologne would show Ranma.  
  
**********************  
  
Several minutes later Cologne had made a little fire in her backyard and was looking at Ranma and Shinji sternly. "I will only demonstrate the technique to you once. After that you are on your own." She took a handful of chestnuts out of nowhere and threw them into the flames.  
  
Ranma and Shinji watched intently as the old woman positioned herself before the fire. "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Suddenly her hand vanished in a blur of motion and the next moment she was holding up a dozen chestnuts.  
  
Shinji simply stared. Unlike Ranma he hadn't even seen her move. One moment she was just sitting there, the next she was holding a dozen chestnuts in her hand.  
  
Ranma barely stopped herself from drooling. With such a technique in her arsenal she would be unbeatable and she could get the damn pill as well! "All right! I'll have that pill faster than you can say Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken old ghoul! I'll be at the dojo training, Shinji!"  
  
Before either Cologne or Shinji could react, Ranma was already gone.  
  
Cologne chuckled. "Eager, isn't he? I wonder how long it will take him to figure out the catch."  
  
Shinji sighed. If Ranma got something into his head nothing would stop him, save for a lot of pain. "It'll take him until he first trusts his hands into the fire. With the full-body cats-tongue active he won't even get his hand halfway in before screaming his head off."  
  
Cologne looked at Shinji respectfully; she hadn't expected him to figure it out so quickly either. "You catch on fast Shinji."  
  
"Thank you. If I may ask though, why are you doing this to him? You're not this harsh with me either elder."  
  
Cologne got a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'm doing it to him because unlike you, Ranma must really marry Shampoo, no way out ...for him. Of course, if you truly feel I'm treating your brother unfair I can always do the same to you!"  
  
Shinji edged away from Cologne and chuckled nervously. "Uhm...now...I don't think there's any need for that, is there?"  
  
"But of course there is. Maybe this will help you a little in choosing your future wife from Kaori and Pepper and Spice."  
  
Before Shinji could throw in anymore protests, Cologne came rushing at him and he started dodging and blocking as fast as he could. He knew it was a lost cause, but he tried anyway because that's what Ranma would have done.  
  
On her end of things Cologne was enjoying herself immensely. While her little squabble with Shinji wasn't at all taxing for her, she marvelled at his abilities. The boy was currently fighting at a level that should have been beyond him for nearly two years. That observation only referred to his strength and speed though, his actual skill in the art was at the level she expected him to be. Seeing how observing him in battle wouldn't help her unravel the secret he had, Cologne upped her speed a little.  
  
To her great surprise, Shinji did so as well and his chi supply expanded slightly, as did his aura. Cologne knew the boy couldn't hide his chi yet so where did it come from? It just didn't make sense.  
  
Hoping to observe the strange occurrence again Cologne sped up even more, only to be matched by Shinji again. Yet even when she was paying close attention to the boy's aura she couldn't understand were the additional reserves came from. Yet something was tickling at the edges of her well- honed senses.  
  
She tried the same tactic another five times, at which point they were going nearly twice as fast as at the beginning and Shinji looked ready to faint. Deciding to put the boy out of his misery, Cologne made use of her full speed and overwhelmed him in seconds.  
  
When Cologne broke through his defences with her inhuman speed, Shinji was already clinging to consciousness with all his might. He knew he hadn't even come close to the speed at which they were going before, but right now that wasn't all that important.  
  
Getting sleep was.  
  
Once Cologne stepped back from her assault he immediately ceased moving. 'I will _never_ _ever_ say anything about unfairness to the old ghoul!' (4) Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted dead away.  
  
Cologne regarded Shinji's form intently and watched as his aura and chi level returned back to his 'normal' levels. Then she hopped back into the restaurant. The boy would be up and about in a few minutes.  
  
At least she hoped so.  
  
End chapter 8  
  
***********************  
  
If you didn't see this one coming you are truly pathetic (at least if you've seen Ranma) Yes, that's how much Kodachi hates Shinji for his interference in her relationship with Ranma. Hey, I know it's sick, but this chapter was too heavy for my liking so I ended it on a lighter note After getting his ass kicked by Cologne you have to excuse Shinji for using one of Ranma's favourite names for her.  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Well, there it is. Chapter 8 is finished and things are heating up in Nerima. Will dish out some ass-kicking once she gets to Nerima? Will Ranma find himself in the same fiancée-situation as in the original? How will Shinji handle his own girl-trouble? Is Nabiki really interested in him that way? Just why was Kasumi blushing back there? What the hell is wrong with Shinji's aura? Are Soun and Genma really working now? Will both Saotome brothers master the chestnut-fist?  
  
That's a lot of questions. Don't even begin to hope I'll answer them all in the next chapter. I'll try though. AND I'll try even more if you do me the favour and review. I want to know what you think when reading this and what I can do better! Please go to the trouble and review or send me an e-mail. (Wow, I'm good at begging *gg*)  
  
Once again I would like to thank my pre-readers NuStrike, Ranshin, kuracao for their invaluable help in making this readable. I'll try to make fewer mistakes next chapter guys!  
  
WARNING: The following Omake is not pre-read and _will_ cause permanent mental trauma  
  
OMAKE  
  
After finishing the latest chapter of SS the author (me) hears a knock on his door.  
  
Me: come in  
  
Nabiki: (enters and gives me glare of death) What do you think you're doing you little creep?  
  
Me: (tries to look clueless) What do you mean?  
  
Nabiki: I don't have a single scene in this chapter! My contract says I have at least one! (starts smirking all of a sudden) Now, you can either pay the fee of 1 million dollars for breaking the contract or...you do me a little favour and I'll forget all about this.  
  
Me: (swallows) What can I do for you?  
  
Nabiki: (sits on the edge of my desk and) I want a lot of screen-time with Shinji-honey next chapter...if you know what I mean(licks her lips). Me: (starts sweating) Now Nabiki, I don't think I can do that. It would throw over my whole plot so far.  
  
Nabiki:(smiles innocently and stands up) Okay, I'll call my lawyers  
  
Me: (grabs Nabiki desperately) wait! I'll see what I can do about it!  
  
Nabiki: (smiles brightly) I knew you would see it my way! (walks out)  
  
Another knock on the door.  
  
Me: (groans) What now?  
  
A half naked Ranma and Shinji enter and close the door behind them.  
  
Ranma: (frantic) You gotta hide us, the girls are trying to get all mushy and stuff again  
  
Shinji: (shuddering) I'll never star in another one of your fanfics with these freaky girls around, that's the third set of clothes I'm missing this week!  
  
Me: Now, I'm sure it can't possibly be that bad.  
  
Something crashes into the still closed door. Shampoo's voice: Airen come out and play with me! Kaori's voice: Come out Shin-chan, we need to consummate our marriage.  
  
Ranma and Shinji : We're _not_ married damn it!  
  
Silence fills the room for a moment and Ranma and Shinji relax slightly. Suddenly the door exploded inwards, sending Ranma and Shinji flying into me and my computer.  
  
Kaori: (standing in doorway with triumphant expression) now we will have some fun.  
  
Ranma and Shinji are dragged out of the room by most of the female cast. Ranma and Shinji: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  
  
Me: (looks at destroyed computer, door and desk and sighs) Where am I going to get the money to repair that?  
  
Ranma and Shinji from somewhere outside: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  
  
Me: (shakes head) and how am I going to pay for another raise of their salary? Looks like I will be spending a few days earning some cash, that means no writing.......... 


	10. SS9 Ranma’s Old Buddy

Chapter 9 – Ranma's Old Buddy  
  
Dinnertime at the Tendo's  
  
Genma snatched another rice ball from his son's plate.  
  
Ranma simply continued blowing her burned hands.  
  
As Shinji had predicted, Ranma found out about the catch of training in the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken once she'd thrust her hands into the fire. That had been ten minutes before dinner and her hands _still_ felt like they were on fire.  
  
Genma snatched a pickle from her plate.  
  
Ranma glowered. The nerve of that panda! One swift kick and a wet panda sat blinking in the koi-pond.  
  
He raised a sign.  
  
"What did I do now?"  
  
Kasumi gave Genma-panda a stern look.  
  
"Now Mr. Saotome, it's not nice to steal food from your son when he can't defend himself. And please stay outside until you're dry Mr.Saotome."  
  
Genma-panda, who was just in the process of stepping onto the front porch, sulked and walked away. Now he couldn't eat more of Kasumi's wonderful food!  
  
'Oh well, can't have everything'.  
  
Genma-panda quickly started consuming the pile of bamboo that was provided for this kind of situation. It was better than nothing.  
  
Several minutes later a very tired looking Shinji wobbled into the living room and collapsed next to the dinner table.  
  
"Sorry I'm late for dinner."  
  
Nabiki looked at Shinji with unveiled curiosity and just a little bit of concern.  
  
"You don't look all that well. What happened?"  
  
Shinji stopped helping himself to some of Kasumi's food and looked Nabiki straight in the eye.  
  
"I'll give you some advice: never _ever_ get on Cologne's bad side."  
  
Nabiki rolled her eyes.   
  
"Thanks, but what does the old woman have to do with anything?"  
  
Shinji wolfed down a rice ball before replying.  
  
"I take it Ranma has already told you about the full body cat's tongue?"  
  
Several nods confirmed Shinji's question.  
  
"Well, let's just say he isn't the only one with that little problem now."  
  
Stunned silence followed that statement.   
  
Kasumi was the first to recover.  
  
"Oh my! Why would she do something like that? Haven't you told me that Spice and Pepper agreed to let you make your own decision on who you will marry?"  
  
Nabiki stared at Kasumi. She hadn't known anything about that. Strangely enough knowing that Shinji had confided in Kasumi but not in her made her jealous(?) of her sister. She quickly squashed the unwelcome sensation, writing it of as irrational.  
  
Ranma, on the other hand wasn't feeling jealous, she was feeling angry.  
  
"Why did the old ghoul do that? It's not like Spice and Pepper are honour bound to marry you, so she has no right to pressure you into anything!"  
  
Shinji sighed.  
  
"Well, after you left I had to go and open my stupid mouth, which somehow gave her the idea afflicting me with the full body cat's tongue would be fun. She said I had the same options as you; either I manage to steal the pill from her or she will reverse it if I marry Pepper and Spice."  
  
"No problem, we will have the needed technique mastered faster than the old ghoul can say 'Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken'!"  
  
Shinji snorted.  
  
"Ranma, stop pretending. You may be able to get this technique down, but there's no way I'll be able to master it in the near future. I mean, you've seen how fast she is and I'm not even at one third of your speed! I'll just have to cope with being a girl for a few years."  
  
A flying sign thwacked Shinji into the head from behind. He looked outside to see Genma in Panda form growling at him. Shinji looked at the sign.  
  
'Stop bitching like a little girl. No son of mine will back down from any challenge even if he is only adopted. You will master that technique no matter WHAT!'  
  
Ranma briefly wondered how it was physically possible to write so much onto such a small sign but wrote it off as unimportant. Instead she nodded her head solemnly.  
  
"The fat Panda has a point for once Shinji. There's no point in giving up before you even try. Besides, the fact that pop is actually _working_ in the dojo now to get some money in shows that _nothing_ is impossible!"  
  
Genma-panda hurled another sign in Ranma's direction, who plucked it out of the air.  
  
'What's that supposed to mean boy?'  
  
Ranma smirked at the panda.  
  
"Exactly what you think it means lazy old man!"  
  
'I will teach you some manners boy!'  
  
Ranma smirked even more as she rushed her father, the meal and Shinji forgotten for now.  
  
"We'll just hafta see about that old man!"  
  
Inside Shinji could only smile. Ranma was probably right. He should at least give it a shot and see what would happen.  
  
On the other side of the table Akane couldn't help but give Ranma some grudging respect. He sure as hell knew how to cheer up his brother:  
  
Shinji had come in with the face of someone damned to land in hell, but now he was smiling again, thanks to Ranma.   
  
Next to her, Nabiki thanked god Ranma managed to convince Shinji to try and get his male body back, it would have been a shame otherwise.  
  
'What the hell?'   
  
The next moment the part of her brain that was labelled 'reason' was busy clobbering the part called 'libido' with a mallet that had stencilled 'he's three years younger then me' on it. Surprisingly 'libido' withstood the attack for nearly 30 seconds.  
  
Kasumi simply watched as Ranma and her father fought. She/He looked so graceful while fighting.  
  
A small frown creased her forehead for a moment.   
  
Ever since Shinji and Ranma had come into her life, thoughts like that were getting very hard to suppress, especially around the older Saotome brother. She had a very good relation to both of them, but Ranma's wild and free nature was drawing her to him in a totally different manner than Shinji's shy and considerate attitude.   
  
Maybe it was time to act on Shinji's advice to get herself a life .........with Ranma as the starting stone.  
  
Next to the three Tendo daughters, Soun was still wailing about the fact that the schools couldn't be joined with both Saotome boys stuck in female form. The fact that Shinji was still male at the moment had fortunately slipped his mind (1). Then he saw Kasumi frowning and started crying even more.  
  
"WAAAAAH MY BABY GIRL IS UNHAPPY!"  
  
Naturally, he was ignored by everyone  
  
*********************  
  
Ranma was once again sitting before an open fire trying to catch the chestnuts she had thrown in earlier, even though her hands were already blistering red and hurting like hell.  
  
"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"  
  
Once again her hands shot into the fire, only to be withdrawn hastily.  
  
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, hot, hot, hot!"  
  
Shinji could only shake her head in resignation while her older brother…sister kept jumping around in the yard cursing up a storm. She had tried to convince Ranma that training in the technique like that would get them nowhere, but Ranma had been as stubborn as ever and refused to back down from this approach. The redhead had been doing this for two days now, but she wasn't one step closer to mastering the technique. Shinji herself hadn't trained the last days but had done some thinking instead on how to best train in this technique and had come up with something that might just work.  
  
Of course, a certain Panda hadn't been pleased about that and had dumped him in the koi-pond a day ago, forcing Shinji to be stuck in his cursed form, supposedly to 'make him realize his situation'.  
  
"That's it! I'm sick of this. There has to be another way to do this!"  
  
Shinji couldn't help but smirk at Ranma's sudden outburst. It was a mystery to her why Ranma always tried things the hard way.   
  
"Maybe you're open to a few suggestions now?"  
  
Ranma sighed. It galled her to no end to admit that Shinji was right. Her brother, who was her sister for the time being, had told her from the beginning this wouldn't work but she hadn't listened as usual.   
  
At least Shinji wasn't the type to rub it in.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't listen from the beginning. I'm listening now though."  
  
Shinji smiled.  
  
"Good. Why don't you go to the dojo, I'll be with you in a few minutes."  
  
*********************  
  
Several minutes later Shinji walked into the dojo carrying a huge bag of what Ranma thought was confetti. Ranma gave Shinji a searching look.  
  
"What the hell do we need confetti for?"  
  
Shinji opened the bag and took out a handful of confetti, a little bit of it falling to the floor.  
  
"The principle of the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken training is to get the chestnuts out of the fire before you burn yourself. In other words, finish something faster than something else happens, right?"  
  
Ranma nodded. That was it in a nutshell.  
  
"Well, I simply used the same principle on something else."  
  
Quickly Shinji threw the confetti she was still holding into the air, causing the little pieces to be scattered in every direction. Then her hands started shooting out, trying to catch as much of the confetti as possible.   
  
A lot of it ended up on the floor, but Ranma understood perfectly.  
  
"Dammit Shinji, you're a real genius sometimes, you know that! All we have to do is to try and catch all of it before it hits the ground, and if we can do that we can always use more to make it more difficult!"  
  
Shinji smiled, happy that Ranma, Ranma, the local martial arts god, was actually complementing her on thinking up this training method.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Ranma grinned.  
  
"No problem bro, but before we start…I have been forgetting about your training the last two days!"  
  
Shinji groaned as Ranma got _that_ glint in her eyes again.  
  
*******************  
  
Ukyo Kuonji desperately tried to get some feeling back into her cold hands by rubbing them together. She was currently clad in a very thick coat and glowering at the new bane of her existence: Ryouga Hibiki  
  
Said boy tried his best to ignore the death-glare that was directed at him since they had been sitting in the cave they were currently occupying to weather the blizzard that was raging on outside. Something that was very typical for Siberia.  
  
Yes that's right, I said Siberia.  
  
Ryouga had needed to go to the toilet and Ukyo, who had known about his bad sense of direction by then had simply let him go. Once she had realized her mistake she had sprinted after his form, which was already far away from the toilets.  
  
In hindsight, Ukyo had to admit sprinting after someone like Ryouga while not watching where you are going is a bad idea. She was still wondering how they had crossed the ocean without seeing a single drop of water...  
  
At least she could hope to get back to Nerima as fast as they had gone to Siberia with Ryouga's help.  
  
Just for good measure Ukyo turned up her glare a little.  
  
Ryouga flinched.  
  
'Note to self: Do not stop concentrating on your way just because you need to go to the restroom!'  
  
******************  
  
The Cat Café   
  
"But Shampoo not want to go to school!" Whined Shampoo in the most annoying voice she could muster.  
  
Cologne stared her down from her perch on the table she was currently standing on with her staff.  
  
"I will not repeat myself Great-granddaughter. You will go to school to learn more about this country's culture and work on your language skills. The youngest Saotome had the right idea to start teaching you a little on the side. And it's 'I don't want to go to school', Shampoo!"  
  
Shampoo looked down.  
  
"Okay, Shampoo…I will go to school, but I still don't like it. Shampoo…I will only learn unnecessary things in stupid building!"  
  
"And you will see your airen everyday because you will go to the same class."  
  
As Cologne had predicted, that statement brightened up her heir immediately.  
  
"Maybe school is not so bad when airen around! I will go buy my school uniform!"  
  
Shampoo was nearly out the door when Cologne spoke again.  
  
"It's when airen _is_ around Shampoo!"  
  
The purple haired bundle of energy whirled around and stuck out her tongue before quickly shutting the door.  
  
Cologne ignored her heir's immature actions, deciding to punish her later, and turned her attention to the other occupants of the room: Spice and Pepper.   
  
"I hope the two of you won't start complaining to me like my great-granddaughter did just now, will you?"  
  
Pepper and Spice shook their head energetically, their long hair bouncing with the fast movements.  
  
"No. We would very much like to go to school elder. That way we can learn new things and be with airen…Shinji more often."  
  
"That's right, and we will always make him something tasty to eat for lunch!"  
  
"Maybe we can ask him to help us with schoolwork!"  
  
Cologne held up her hand before the twins would really start ranting.  
  
"That's good to know girls. Why don't you hurry up and follow Shampoo to get your school uniforms?"  
  
Pepper and Spice nodded once and were out the door the next moment.   
  
Once she was alone Cologne sighed heavily. Pepper and Spice had a good grasp on how to make Shinji fall for them, but Shampoo was too aggressive for her own good.  
  
True, the situation Shampoo was in called for it, but Cologne was already sure that there was no way to pressure Ranma into marriage short of turning him into a vegetable, which was not an option.   
  
Cologne had observed the boy a few days back as he had tried to learn the technique with steely determination and without the slightest hint of accepting defeat.   
  
Nonetheless he had finally given up on the traditional method of training and accepted his brother's help, who hadn't been training the days before as far as she could tell.  
  
After that the boys had been training inside the dojo, so she didn't know what Shinji came up with. It made her very curios….  
  
Frankly, she hadn't planned on that. Originally she had been sure the two of them would come crawling to her doorstep for help. She would have given them help…by working them like slaves once she had gotten them to waitress for her.   
  
That would have been a lot of fun!  
  
'Oh well, you can't have everything Ku Lon.'(2)  
  
******************  
  
Several minutes later Kasumi stopped in front of the Cat Café and hesitated for a moment, wondering if this was really such a good idea.  
  
Was getting a chance with Ranma really this important to her? After all, she hadn't hooked up with Dr. Tofu either.  
  
'Don't be silly Kasumi. You know well and good that it wouldn't ever work out with Tofu the way he behaves, but this is your chance!'  
  
She winced slightly at her turn of thoughts. Ranma wasn't just a chance for her; she really liked the brash young man and wanted to see if they could make it work between them. That she was also taking Shinji's advice to get out of the house with that was purely coincidental…really.  
  
It sounded doubtful, even to her.  
  
Then she firmed her resolve and knocked.  
  
'If you want to find out, you have to try!'  
  
Moments later Cologne's raspy voice came from the inside.  
  
"The Cat Café is closed right now, please come back tomorrow!"  
  
"It's Kasumi Tendo. I wanted to talk to you elder Ku Lon."  
  
The door was opened and something that deeply disturbed Kasumi peered back at her from the open hallway. Shinji had told Kasumi about the elder Amazon, the fact that she loved being called elder and the fact that she was butt ugly.  
  
Frankly, Kasumi thought Shinji had paid the shrivelling dead body that was hopping around on a cane (3) quite the compliment with that butt ugly remark.  
  
Of course, on the outside she stayed the epitome of tranquillity just like she didn't even notice Cologne's 'looks'.  
  
"Good evening elder Ku Lon." The girl said pleasantly while bowing deeply.  
  
Cologne would have done the same but balancing on a cane kind of made that impossible.   
  
"Likewise Kasumi Tendo. You might want to call me Cologne child; I imagine that's a lot easier on your Japanese tongue. But where are my manners? Please come in child so we can talk."  
  
Kasumi nodded her thanks and soon the two of them where seated on a table inside the restaurant. This time Cologne spoke up because Kasumi seemed very nervous.  
  
"Now, what can I do for you child?"  
  
Kasumi swallowed her nervousness. What harm was there in asking? If this didn't work she would just leave Ranma alone…at least that was the plan.  
  
"Shinji and Ranma have told me about the situation your great-granddaughter is in concerning Ranma and I wanted to ask if there may be a loophole in your laws that would allow Shampoo to stop pursuing Ranma without loss of honour for herself."  
  
Cologne smiled at the girl.  
  
"So, the young Saotome has caught your attention as well child?"  
  
Kasumi looked down in shame, the elder had seen right through her  
  
"Do not worry child I bear you no ill will and your secret is safe with me. There is nothing to be ashamed of just because you fell for such a fine young man. It is only natural."  
  
Kasumi looked up surprised.  
  
"But what about your great-granddaughter?"  
  
Cologne shrugged her ancient shoulders.  
  
"I'm not saying I like it, I'm just saying that it's all right to feel like this. As for your offer, I'm afraid I don't know of any loopholes in our laws that would enable Shampoo to get out of this without marrying Ranma."   
  
Then she fished around in her luminous robes and pulled out a small book.   
  
"Nonetheless, you are welcome to try and find one child."  
  
Kasumi accepted the small book Cologne held out towards her and read the title in surprise:  
  
'Laws of the Amazon Village of Jusenkyo, first Japanese edition'  
  
She blinked several times.  
  
"If I may ask elder, why are you helping me?"  
  
At Kasumi's question a startling transformation took place in Cologne; the old crone's shoulders slumped, her eyes suddenly looked sad and very tired and her whole posture suddenly showed all of the 300 years she had lived through.   
  
"I'm helping you because I realized this whole mission was doomed to failure from the beginning. I hate to admit it, but this old fossil made a big mistake in coming here. I thought Ranma could be pressured into the tribe, but thanks to his own stubbornness and his other obligations, that sounds very unlikely. It is obvious to me that Ranma has not the slightest interest in my great-granddaughter and that a marriage between these two will be loveless. If you can truly find a loophole, I can sleep peacefully again and my great-granddaughter will once again be free."  
  
Kasumi cocked her head to the side.  
  
"If you know Ranma can't be pressured into marriage, then why are you still trying? And why did you do this to Shinji-kun?"  
  
Cologne reverted back to her old self and winked at Kasumi mischievously.  
  
"Simple child, this way it seems I'm trying to help Shampoo get her man and I can train Ranma and Shinji in techniques they would never be allowed to learn otherwise. It would be a shame to let the potential these two posses go to waste."  
  
"Ranma I can understand elder, but how do you expect Shinji to learn this technique anytime soon? I'm no martial artist but even I can tell that Shinji is years behind Ranma in terms of training. He'll be stuck in female form forever!"  
  
Cologne shook her head.  
  
"You are only partly right child. It is true that Shinji is far behind Ranma in his training, but with sufficient training I would expect him to master the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken in less then two months."  
  
Kasumi gave her a questioning look.  
  
Cologne sighed and elaborated further. She didn't want to tell anybody about this just now, but she liked Kasumi and thought she deserved to know.  
  
"Promise me to keep what I'm about to tell you a secret for now."  
  
Kasumi grew concerned immediately and agreed without hesitation.  
  
"Is something wrong with Shinji-kun elder?"  
  
"I wouldn't say wrong...more like not normal. You must know I'm well versed in reading auras and Shinji's aura is an enigma for me. I do not understand how it is possible, but over the last months his aura has increased nearly five times as much as should have been possible in such a short time. It seems the boy has a hidden well of power that deepens his ki reserves at an astounding rate. During the fight where I inflicted him with the full body cat's tongue, his aura even increased to twice of its already impressive size before I finished the fight. I have a feeling that was the limit of this hidden well of his, but I'm sure he can reach that level of power constantly within 2 months if his aura keeps growing like this."  
  
Kasumi absorbed all of that. She had a feeling her youngest houseguest had a few more surprises like that in store for them. Not that it mattered right now.  
  
"But even if what you say is true elder, Shinji still won't be even half as strong as Ranma!"  
  
Cologne waved her off.  
  
"That's true, but he doesn't need to be nearly as strong as Ranma to master the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. The secret of mastering the technique isn't just pure power, although it is part of it. The most important part of the training is to learn to get more control over your ki. The better someone's control, the less ki is needed to pull it off. And, if nothing else, the youngest Saotome seems to be very controlled."  
  
Kasumi nodded her head in agreement to Cologne's explanation. Two months was a lot of time to spend in the wrong body, but it was better than several years. And if the key was control then Shinji could do it. He was always so calm and quiet and in control of his actions (unless he was in a bout of depression, something that rarely happened lately) that this shouldn't be too much of a problem.   
  
Not that she could have done anything about it otherwise. Cologne didn't strike her as a person you could talk out of a decision. Seeing how she had everything she wanted, Kasumi stood up and bowed.   
  
"Thanks you for sharing this with me elder Cologne, but I need to be going now."  
  
"No problem child. Maybe you could come over sometime in the future? Talking to you has been very pleasant."  
  
"Of course elder, have a nice day."  
  
Cologne wished Kasumi a nice day as well and showed the girl out. Once she was alone again Cologne smiled slightly.  
  
"Maybe there is hope to solve this situation yet….."  
  
******************  
  
Shinji and Ranma, or rather Rei and Ranko as their female form were to be called in public, walked towards school with downtrodden expressions on their faces. They had been training for a whole week without going to school and Soun and Genma had insisted they go to school again.   
  
Both temporary girls had protested saying they couldn't come to school female until Nabiki gave them all the necessary documents to enrol both of them under the name of their female forms. That had ended the argument pretty quickly.  
  
Now both of them dreaded meeting with Kuno, the local nut case. The insane kendoist had taken a fancy to both their female forms the first time he had laid eyes upon them and wouldn't stop harassing them once he knew they were going to his school now.  
  
In addition to that, Shinji was worrying about something else. The last few days Nabiki had grown very inquisitive about her past and was giving her strange looks every now and then.  
  
It had become very hard to evade her questions or make up lies on the fly and Shinji was almost sure Nabiki had found her out.  
  
Further contemplation on that subject was stopped by none other than Kuno  
  
"Ah what magnificent view has befallen my eyes?! The pigtailed girl and the blue haired goddess have come to bask in my glorious presence! I shall date with thee!"  
  
Ranma and Shinji, who had learned by now that it was impossible to get through Kuno's thick skull simply knocked him out cold with a double-teamed attack and proceeded into the building, like they had done yesterday.  
  
*****************  
  
Ranma's classroom  
  
Ranma, or rather Ranko was sitting at her desk bored out of her mind when the teacher came in.  
  
"Students I would like you to meet two new students: Shampoo of the Amazons and Kaori Daikoku! Introduce yourselves."  
  
Ranko watched with dread as Shampoo bounced in front of the class, a bright smile lightening up her face.  
  
"Hello, I am Shampoo and...I am Ranma's wife. If any pervert get near me Shampoo…I will clobber him! Hello airen!" The last line was said while waving in Ranko's direction and the girl couldn't help but bury her head in her arms. This day was going straight to hell.  
  
Once Shampoo was finished Kaori introduced herself.  
  
"Hello, I'm Kaori Daikoku and I hope to make friends with some of you."  
  
Several boys leered at her.  
  
"I would also advise any perverts to stay away from me because I am already involved with someone."  
  
The boys stopped leering.  
  
Once the girls had introduced themselves the lesson began and Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed no one in class had figured out that Shampoo had called her airen because she was Ranma.  
  
Akane, for once, wasn't too angry. Because she had agreed to be Ranma's friend it was quite impossible to be jealous and therefore angry. Nonetheless she was annoyed that Kaori and Shampoo were going to her school now, both of them probably trying to sack their respective love interests, namely Ranma and Shinji.  
  
Kaori didn't notice Akane's glare because she was too busy thinking over Shampoo's introduction. She had only seen the Amazon once before when she had her first confrontation with Pepper and Spice, but even then the purple-haired beauty hadn't spoken a word to her.  
  
Why the Amazon would call the redhead sitting a few seats away her husband was beyond her……   
  
**************************  
  
Meanwhile in Shinji's classroom  
  
"Class, today we have two new transfer students from China: Pepper and Spice."  
  
Shinji watched wide-eyed as the twins came bounding in to stand before the class.  
  
"Hello, we're Spice and Pepper and we hope to learn a lot of interesting things here. Most of all we hope to spent a lot of time with our friend Shinji, though."  
  
Several boys in class cursed loudly and proclaimed Shinji a lucky dog.  
  
Then the other shoe dropped as the twins waved at 'Rei'.  
  
"Hello Shinji!!!!!!!"  
  
Needless to say the class was a little confused, while 'Rei's' face drained of all colour.  
  
Fortunately the average Nerimian didn't know about Jusenkyo or believe in Magic and the matter took care of itself.  
  
"Why are the new chicks waving at Rei? Doesn't look much like Shinji, does she?" said the class-jock to his friend.  
  
A girl nodded her agreement.  
  
"Yeah, what is it with you two? I would know if Shinji was here, but he's gone on a training trip or something!"  
  
Needless to say Pepper and Spice looked a little puzzled. Shinji was sitting right in the middle of class.  
  
Then it dawned on them. The class didn't know about the curse and now Shinji was posing as someone else!  
  
A look into 'Rei's' face confirmed their suspicion and the twins cursed inwardly. First day in school and they had nearly blown Shinji's cover.  
  
"Ah, uhm...sorry about that…it's just that you're the only person we found cute besides Shinji until now so we kind of confused the two of you!"  
  
While Pepper took a deep breath after that hastily made up excuse Spice nodded her head vigorously.  
  
Shinji's left eyebrow started twitching. That had to have been the dumbest explanation they could have come up with. There was no way anybody would buy that one.  
  
"Makes sense! Goddammit, Saotome is so lucky to have two girlfriends who are bi…" Said the class jock.   
  
The rest of the class was quick to agree with him.  
  
Shinji fell out of her chair, twitching faintly  
  
********************  
  
Tendo Dojo – noon the same day.  
  
"Mr. Saotome, there is somebody at the door who wishes to speak with you."  
  
Genma looked up from his game of Shogi he was playing with Soun when he heard Kasumi's voice. It seemed the two men had been so focused on cheating…eh playing, that they hadn't heard the knock on the door.  
  
Genma stood up and moved to the front door, a chance that Soun promptly used to completely alter the board arrangement in his favour.  
  
When Genma reached the door a young man(?) of about 16 was standing there along with Ryouga. Both of them looked like they had been wandering around the wilderness for the last days, which probably wasn't too far off the truth with Ryouga around.  
  
What was causing Genma worry, though, was the gleeful look on Ryouga's face. Ever since Shinji had convinced the runt that Genma was the cause for all of his problems, Genma was wary of the super strong teenager.  
  
"Genma Saotome?" asked the stranger in a baritone voice.  
  
The balding martial artist nodded.  
  
"Yes, that's me. What can I do for you?"  
  
The boy's face twisted into a visage of pure rage and he brought the huge spatula that was on his back to bear.  
  
"I'm Ukyo Kuonji. If you want to do something for me, please stand still!"  
  
Genma's eyes widened in shock and recognition.  
  
"Now, there's no reason to beat me up, I have to teach classes in half an hour!"  
  
*WHACK WHACK CRUNCH WHACK…*  
  
Needless to say, Genma's lousy excuse didn't save his ass this time.  
  
Ryouga watched with satisfaction as Ukyo beat the stuffing out of the idiotic panda.  
  
In his opinion the old fart deserved every beating he could get for some of the things he had done. He just hoped beating up on Ranma's father would make Ukyo's first meeting with Ranma less explosive so that Ranma could explain his side of the story.  
  
*****************  
  
When lunchtime came around Shinji and Ranma found themselves at their usual spot under a shady cherry tree.  
  
With the slight difference that 4 additional females were also present.  
  
Said females had only found them a few seconds ago, which was the reason why Ranma was currently trying valiantly to pry herself out of Shampoo's generous bosom to get some much needed air into her lungs while Shinji was trying to assure the twins that she wasn't angry with them for nearly blowing her cover.  
  
Kaori could only watch the whole scene with growing confusion, especially when Pepper and Spice repeatedly called the blue haired girl Shinji.  
  
"Could somebody please tell me what's going on here? Where are Shinji and Ranma?"  
  
Ranma would have answered, but she was still trapped inside the Amazon glomp from hell so she could only mumble incoherently.  
  
Shinji, who wasn't hindered from speaking by various parts of female anatomy, blinked a couple of times and chuckled in embarrassment. It seemed she had forgotten to tell her fiancée about the curse.  
  
'Uh oh, this could get complicated'  
  
Unfortunately her thought was confirmed when Pepper and Spice started speaking.  
  
"What do you mean? Shinji and Ranma are right here!"  
  
Kaori looked at the twins closely. They seemed serious enough.  
  
"Are you out of your mind?! All I see are two girls!"  
  
The twins blinked.  
  
"You mean you don't know about the curse?"  
  
Kaori looked at them incredulously and started laughing.  
  
"Oh god...ha ha...that's rich…you're…ha ha…trying to tell me Shinji and Ranma are turning into girls?" Then her tone grew louder "What do you take me for, an idiot?!!"  
  
Before the situation could get violent, Shinji stepped between Kaori and the twins.  
  
"Kaori-san, please stay calm. I know this sounds ridiculous, but they are telling the truth. Ranma and I have a curse that turns us into girls every time we get in contact with cold water. Hot water reverses the process."  
  
Kaori looked into the blue-haired girl's eyes. The same dark blue as Shinji's and just as beautiful. The speech pattern and tone was also the same. She didn't believe it, but she would give them the benefit of the doubt.  
  
"All right. Show me this curse of yours and I'll believe it."  
  
Pepper and Spice grabbed Shinji's arms  
  
"You can't show her! Remember the full body cat's tongue!"  
  
Shinji smiled at the twins warmly as a tingling sensation ran through her body. It was nice to be cared for, but this needed to be done. Surely a little hot water wouldn't be too painful, right?  
  
"Sorry girls, but Kaori has a right to see this. She has to know what she's getting herself into." Then she addressed Kaori "If you would please follow me to the bathroom?"  
  
Kaori nodded courtly and the two girls were off, leaving the other four behind.   
  
Once again Ranma would have protested, but thanks to a few cups of ramen Shampoo had produced out of nowhere after letting her go she was currently in food heaven and therefore oblivious to her surroundings.  
  
Shampoo smiled as Ranma devoured her food. Her distraction had worked very well.  
  
In her opinion the sooner Kaori knew about the curse the sooner she would be gone, which would save Pepper, Spice and Shinji a lot of pain in the long run. If that meant playing a few dirty (but highly pleasurable) tricks on her airen, then so be it. The purple haired girl was sure that Kaori would leave once she found out about the curse and she wanted to make sure it happened before Shinji could get overly attached to her.  
  
Seeing how Ranma was still eating Shampoo proceeded to eat her own ramen, joined by Pepper and Spice. Both girls looked worried sick.  
  
"Not to worry about...Shinji. Hot water not hurt him too much!"  
  
The effect of Shampoo's reassuring smile was shattered by the ear-splitting scream that pierced the air the next moment.  
  
"HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
Once the scream had stopped and their ears had stopped ringing Pepper and Spice gave Shampoo a dry look.  
  
"We can hear what you mean Shampoo."  
  
Shampoo opted to sweat drop heavily. That sounded really bad…   
  
The scream, which obviously originated from Shinji, also had the effect of rousing Ranma from her feeding frenzy. The redhead was on her feet, looking around frantically.  
  
"What the hell happened? Where is Shinji?"   
  
"Shinji showed Kaori his curse because she didn't know about it yet." supplied a helpful Pepper.  
  
Ranma stared, replayed the last few moments and came to the ultimate conclusion.  
  
"Ouch…."  
  
A few minutes later a shaken looking Kaori and Shinji, in female form, joined them again.   
  
Ranma noted that Shinji's left hand was tinged an angry red.  
  
Pepper and Spice smirked at Kaori.  
  
"Do you believe us now? Do you still want to be Shinji's girlfriend, knowing that he is a she most of the time?"  
  
Kaori glared at them.   
  
"I don't plan on giving him up because of a little curse you little spores. Besides, he already explained to me that changing is only problematic because of this 'full body cat's tongue' and I'm pretty sure that condition won't last forever." then looking pointedly at her watch," If you will excuse me, class is starting in a few minutes."  
  
Then the older girl turned on her heel and walked away, but not before pressing a kiss straight onto Shinji's lips, much to Shinji's surprise and the delight of several perverts at school.  
  
In the background a camera flashed and the next moment a girl ran into the school building.  
  
"Thanks for showing me Shinji-kun, This must have hurt a lot."  
  
The blue-haired part-time girl stood there dumbly for a few minutes. It wasn't everyday a boy experienced his first kiss as a girl from a girl. Not to mention that it was simply HOT!  
  
Pepper and Spice were equally speechless, neither of them having expected the other girl to have the guts to kiss 'Rei' in public.   
  
Shampoo was silently contemplating to ask Kaori for lessons in kissing. The girl seemed to know what she was doing.  
  
Ranma tried to creep away as silently as possible. The look on Shampoo's face told him that Kaori had given her a few ideas that the Amazon would undoubtedly try with her once she snapped out of it. Besides, the way Pepper and Spice were eyeing Shinji was unnerving……  
  
Fortunately for all involved, the late bell rang a few seconds later, causing everybody to forget about kissing and other forms of 'physical entertainment'.  
  
*****************  
  
When Shinji, Ranma, Akane, Kaori and the Amazons left school that day, Ryouga was standing next to the gate with another 'pretty' boy, waiting for them.  
  
"Hey guys over here!"  
  
The girls and part-time girls were soon standing before the no-longer-so-lost-boy and Ryouga introduced everybody.  
  
Once he was finished Ukyo gave Ryouga a piercing look.  
  
"I don't know about you sugar, but she doesn't look a thing like the _male_ Ranma I'm searching for. This is a waste of time."  
  
The redhead in question was too busy trying to remember why the name Ukyo sounded familiar to react, so Shinji took over for her.  
  
"Why are you searching for this Ranma?"  
  
Ukyo gave the younger girl, who was named Shinji strangely enough, a death glare.  
  
"I'm searching for him so I can pound Ranchan flat for running out on me with my family's yattai!"   
  
The moment her old nickname was said Ranma looked up, recognition dawning on her face.  
  
"Ucchan? Is that really you?"  
  
"How do you know that name? Only Ranma ever called me that!"  
  
"But I'm…oh, right…"Ranma trailed of, not knowing how to proceed," What do you mean he ran out on you with your family's yattai? I thought it was a going away present for us" Then another memory came forth and Ranma could clearly see a little Ukyo crying while trying to keep up with Ranma and his father...who was dragging the yattai behind him running at full tilt and it all fell into place. "That stupid panda is so going to get it!!!! He cheated you out of your yattai and I didn't even know it! What did he do this time?!"  
  
Ukyo looked at the raving mad redhead in front of her. She kept speaking about this like she had been there herself and seemed sure that she was Ranma.   
  
'Better answer or this raving psycho will attack me or something!'  
  
"Well…it's like that, Ranma's father and my father engaged us and the yattai was my dowry. Genma was supposed to take me along, but instead he left me behind, that jackass."  
  
Behind the pair Akane and Shmapoo growled but didn't react otherwise to this news. It didn't seem like the newcomer was interested in Ranma that way at all.  
  
Ranma made a face.  
  
"Eeew, that's sick! Why would I want to be engaged to a boy???"  
  
Ukyo growled at Ranma. The little lunatic was starting to get on her nerves.  
  
"I'm not a boy, and I've never been one, all right! I'm just dressing this way because otherwise my father wouldn't even look at me! He always wanted a son and got a daughter instead." Next to Ukyo, Ryouga thought about all the nights he had spent alone with Ukyo in a cave and passed out due to a nosebleed. Ukyo ignored him. "And would you please stop this. You're not Ranma, because Ranma was a boy and you're obviously a girl!"  
  
Ranma chuckled nervously.  
  
"Uhm, listen Ucchan, I know this will sound unbelievable, but I can prove it. You see, me and my bro Shinji here," he said while pointing in Shinji's direction, "fell into a cursed spring at a valley that was full of them. Every time we touch cold water we turn into girls and hot water reverses the process."  
  
Ukyo slowly drew her big-ass spatula and edged away from the raving mad redhead, just to be on the safe side.  
  
"You're really a loony aren't you? Let's assume you're really Ranma. Then tell me why you ran out on me!"  
  
Ranma, heedless of the pain bringing implement in Ukyo's hands took a step forward and fell on her knees in front of the other girl.  
  
"You have to believe me; I didn't have the slightest idea. I didn't even know you were a girl until now, much less that we were engaged! Pop told me your yattai was a going away present and I thought you were crying because we were leaving! I'm sorry! I'm sorry….."  
  
Ukyo looked at the others while Ranma continued to beg before her.  
  
"Is she always that pathetic?"  
  
Shinji gave Ukyo a frosty look. Ranma was apologizing and she was making fun of her. That didn't sit well with Shinji, who knew how hard it was for her brother to apologize for anything.  
  
"No, _he's_ only like that when old friends blame _him_ for things father has done and tries to show them it wasn't _his_ fault."   
  
Ukyo took an involuntary step back. That girl was _scary_ when she wanted to be!  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound insulting, but you have to admit this whole story sounds like it comes right out of an anime."  
  
Shinji sighed.  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean, but crossing the ocean without seeing a drop of water with Ryouga's help is a little unbelievable as well."  
  
Ukyo blinked.  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
Shinji smirked, unconsciously using her own father's patented 'I'm-your-superior-in-all-things' smile.  
  
"Just a guess. Can we get going now to clear this whole thing up?"  
  
The pony-tailed girl nodded reluctantly, thinking that she might as well see this through to the end, and soon the whole gang was moving towards the Tendo Dojo.  
  
All the way, a sullen looking Ranma was carrying the still unconscious Ryouga on her back. It was obvious that the whole encounter did not go to her liking at all.   
  
*****************  
  
The whole gang, including Kaori, Ryouga, Ukyo, Pepper and Spice, Shampoo, Ranma, Akane and Shinji made its way towards the Tendo Dojo. Most of the girls were tacking along to spend some time with their respective fiancées while Ryouga, who was once again coherent, planned on once again beating Mr. Saotome to a bloody pulp if the panda had recovered from Ukyo's treatment earlier that day. Ukyo simply wanted to have proof of the outrageous story she had been told by the girl that claimed she was Ranma in cursed form.  
  
Everybody, save for Ranma, was chattering away when they entered the yard.   
  
Shinji and Ukyo had been talking about their time with Ranma, when she asked the inevitable question.  
  
"Just who are you anyway? When I met Ranma he didn't have a brother. Not that I believe that you're really male yet, mind you"  
  
"That's what I would like to know as well. Who are you, Shinji?" asked a cold voice.  
  
*****************   
  
"General, we have the first pictures showing the complete object uncovered!"  
  
General Yuan Yamato smiled in triumph as he took the stack of photos from the young Lieutenant.  
  
"Thank you, you may leave."  
  
The young soldier complied and left the General in the solitude of his cabin.  
  
Like a giddy child the man in his mid-fifties opened the folder containing the photos.  
  
What he found was more than he could have dreamed of when this came to his attention the first time two weeks back.   
  
One of the local wreck divers had ordered some _heavy_ equipment that was used for digging. That had been very suspicious because no wreck was worth enough to be uncovered fully, finding a single entrance was enough for most ships and if they were too inaccessible they were simply left alone.  
  
A little investigation on part of the military had shown that he was digging out what was supposed to be a giant robot. Needless to say he had been very sceptic when he first heard of it, but what had been uncovered already was more than enough to convince him that something extraordinary was laying down there.  
  
Now he held the photos in his hand, which were proudly displaying the prone form of a huge purple robot that had the letters EVA 01 stencilled on its forearm. From what he could tell it was in top condition and as big a middle-sized battleship.  
  
Now only one question remained to be answered:  
  
How the hell did something like that end up on the ocean floor without their knowing?  
  
Yet answering it could wait. It was more important to get this baby somewhere safe so their scientists could take a look at it. Something of that size would be the ultimate land bound weapon if they could get it moving!  
  
The real problem was to find a way to lift something this heavy from the ocean floor. Getting that baby out of there would probably take a few weeks.  
  
The real problems were those damn reporters though. They had finally gotten wind of the operation and would make transporting the robot to safety undetected almost impossible.  
  
The general frowned slightly.  
  
"Someone should introduce censorship again, would make my job a lot easier! Not that these insects will get even a glimpse of this baby!"  
  
Fortunately for a certain boy and unfortunately for the international politics of this world, the good general would be proven wrong on that last statement in the future.  
  
End chapter 9  
  
***********************  
  
(1) I think you can think of several reasons…..just look at the Omake  
  
(2) In my opinion the old fossil is doing most of the things she does to have a little bit of fun. After 300 years of living it must be hard to find things to occupy your time that you haven't done a thousand times before.  
  
(3) What do you think about that version? Took me quite a while to come up with it. And yes, I do believe Kasumi would think that. Unlike the rest of Nerima she would just be too polite to say it out loud.  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Are Kasumi's feelings for Ranma real…or is she just grabbing the first way out of her old life? Damned if I told you, but these two will have one hell of a ride!  
  
Is Shinji's secret finally out in the open?   
  
When will the Saotome brothers finally get the phoenix pill?  
  
And, last but not least A BIG FAT THANKS for my pre-readers NuStrike, RanShin, kuracao.  
  
I hope you guys are with me until the end.  
  
And now: OMAKE (the first scene plays out a little differently…)  
  
**********************  
  
……  
  
……  
  
Next to her, Nabiki thanked god Ranma managed to convince Shinji to try and get his male body back, it would have been a shame otherwise.  
  
'What the hell?'   
  
The next moment the part of her brain that was labelled 'reason' was busy clobbering the part called 'libido' with a mallet that had stencilled 'he's three years younger then me' on it. Surprisingly 'libido' withstood the attack for nearly 30 seconds.  
  
Fortunately for 'libido' Soun choose that moment to stop wailing when he got an idea.  
  
"Well then we have only one chance to join the schools for sure: Shinji as long as you're still male you _must_ have sex with one of my daughters to produce an heir! You can marry afterwards."  
  
Shinji looked at Soun dumbly without saying anything.  
  
On the other side of the table Nabiki's 'libido' got a whole battalion of enforcements and obliterated 'reason' completely, thanks to Soun's little idea.  
  
"I'll have sex with Shinji!"  
  
Shinji looked at Nabiki like she had grown a second head.  
  
"Wa…huh...why…what do you...?"  
  
Soun jumped up  
  
"Yes, then it is decided, get upstairs you two!"  
  
Before Shinji could react Nabiki had grabbed him and was dragging him upstairs. The frenzied glint in her eyes wasn't calming at all for his nerves.  
  
"…..help…."  
  
Downstairs Akane looked horrified.  
  
"We have to stop Nabiki! Who knows what she'll do to Shinji!"  
  
Kasumi smiled slightly.  
  
"I'm sure Shinji will be alright little sister."  
  
"YES; RIDE ME LIKE A BRONCO IN HEAT YOU STUD!!!!!!"  
  
"HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Kasumi grew a sweat drop of gigantic proportions.  
  
"Okay, maybe he won't…"  
  
END OMAKE  
  
*******************  
  
Yeah, I know it's lame but this was stuck in my head and I needed to get it out. Besides, Nabiki told me she liked the scene just fine….  
  
And now, a little addition to my Omake courtesy of kuracao. He's gone to the trouble of writing it so not posting it would be a shame.  
  
*******************  
  
Before Shinji could react Nabiki had grabbed him and was dragging him upstairs. The frenzied glint in her eyes wasn't calming at all for his nerves.  
  
"…..help…."  
  
Had anybody looked at the kitchen door, they would have seen the little 'rising sun' fans that Mini-Urd was waving around in victory. Urd smiled.  
  
"One down, one more to go! Nice to see that my love potion worked…"  
  
Dancing all the way back into the kitchen she stopped abruptly when she the potion in her pocket caught her eye. The first tag had dropped to the floor and on the second one could clearly read: Lust and Fertility Mixed Potion.  
  
Mini-Mara, who was hanging from the ceiling, laughed her ass of when she caught the panicky expression on Urd's face. The whole household would soon be the very definition of chaos……..  
  
********************  
  
Well, that's all there is. You want to read more (as unbelievable as that sounds), you'll just have to wait. 


	11. SS10 Of Mothers, Blind Fools and Other D...

Chapter 10 - Of Mothers, Blind Fools and Other Disasters  
  
Shinji looked ahead to see a very angry looking Nabiki giving her a suspicious glare that told her all she needed to know. She swallowed hard. How did she find out? "I.I can explain."  
  
All conversation had stopped now, making this odd conversation everybody's focus.  
  
If possible, Nabiki's voice was even colder now. "You better have a very good explanation. I do not like being lied to."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about Nabiki? Shinji's never lied about anything!"  
  
Nabiki shifted her attention to Ranma. "Shut up Saotome. This is between me and him."  
  
Before Ranma could say anything else Shinji held up a hand to silence her. When Shinji spoke her voice was oddly calm. "Stop it Ranma. We both know this had to come out sooner or later."  
  
The redhead slumped down a little but nodded. With someone like Nabiki in the house this was bound to happen. Needless to say everyone else was _very_ confused. "What's going on?" "What sneaky.Nabiki talking about?" "What are these whackos talking about now?!" "What did Shinji do?"  
  
"SILENCE!" Bellowed Nabiki with steel in her voice  
  
That shut everybody up.  
  
The local Ice queen gathered her composure. This wasn't at all how she wanted this to happen. She had wanted to talk with Shinji in civilized tones, not start a riot in Nerima. "If you want to know what's going on, I suggest you come inside and take a seat. I'm sure the story Shinji has to tell us will take some time."  
  
Slowly everyone filed into the house, but when Ukyo tried to enter Nabiki stopped her. "And who might you be?"  
  
Ukyo glared at Nabiki. "I'm Ranma's fiancée, and if you think you can stop me from following him...her, whatever, you're solely mistaken."  
  
Nabiki looked over to Shinji, who was still standing outside, for confirmation. She may have hated the fact that the boy, who was currently a girl, had kept something very important from her, but she felt it was still his decision if a total stranger should know about what he had to tell. To her surprise Shinji simply shrugged her shoulders, a ghost of a smile gracing her features. It was obvious Nabiki's little gesture of kindness was not lost on the blue haired girl. "She may as well come in Nabiki. Seeing as she's Ranma's fiancée, I have the feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of her in the future."  
  
**********************  
  
Several minutes later everyone was gathered in the cramped living room of the Tendo house, along with Genma, Soun and Kasumi. Of course, Genma was still wrapped in bandages from his beating at Ukyo's hands. Said girl only restrained her herself from beating him up because it was a lot more satisfying to wait until his broken bones had healed again. All other occupants, save for Shinji, were waiting patiently. Shinji herself was pacing up and down the length of the room. "How am I going to start this?"  
  
Nabiki shrugged. "Why don't you just tell us what's so bad that you had to create a false identity for yourself?"  
  
Shinji sighed. "That's exactly it. The name Shinji Ikari is indeed my real one.just not in this world."  
  
Needless to say that got an explosive reaction. "What are you talking about boy!" "Oh my god! Another loony!" "Hah, I knew it. He was far too nice to be real!" "Aiya. Shinji say he not from this world?" "That's a little unbelievable Saotome." "What do you mean? Not from this world? Are you feeling all right!?"  
  
"WILL ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT UP?!"  
  
Everybody froze to look at an angry Ranma. "I suggest you stay silent and LISTEN!", then turning to Shinji "Shinji, I think it would be best you start from the beginning."  
  
The blue haired girl nodded her thanks to Ranma for silencing the crowd and started pacing again. "I suppose this whole mess started when my father asked me to come to Tokyo 3...."  
  
When Shinji finished her story nearly an hour later nobody made a sound, mainly because Ranma looked ready to kill the first person to make an undue comment. Unsurprisingly Ukyo, being the only one in the room not aware of Ranma's abilities, was the first to voice her opinion. "That's one hell of a lot of bullshit you just told us sugar. I mean, come on: 'I was forced to save the world from alien invaders by piloting a giant robot and got swallowed up by an angel only to awake somewhere totally different'. That's not exactly realistic, you know?"  
  
The next moment Ranma was in her face. "Oh? But boys turning into girls with the application of cold water is?"  
  
Ukyo gave Ranma a frosty look. "You still haven't shown me that curse of yours and I'm not going to believe it until I see it with my own eyes."  
  
Ranma had already started towards the kitchen when Ryouga stopped her in mid-stride. "Wait Ranma. We all know transforming now will hurt you like hell. I might as well demonstrate it to her."  
  
Ukyo goggled at Ryouga. "Are you trying to tell me you have a curse too?"  
  
The fanged boy nodded "Yeah. Now that I think about it, it's kind of strange it hasn't been activated once during the time we were together." Then he quickly dumped the contents of the glass of water that was standing before him on his head and before Ukyo's unbelieving eyes, broad shoulders and a handsome face started shrinking, until only a pile of clothing was left on the floor.  
  
While Ukyo was coping with what she had just seen Ranma quickly snatched up Ryouga's clothing to reveal a small black piglet underneath. "Ukyo, meet Ryouga the porkboy."  
  
*CRK*  
  
"Ouch!! Goddammit Ryouga. I was only joking around!"  
  
The sight of Ranma jumping all over the room with the little black pig firmly attached to her left foot made a lot of people laugh, which helped a lot in lightening up the atmosphere.  
  
"Oh my! Ranma, it's not nice to call Ryouga names when all he did was help you out."  
  
That stopped Ranma's dance short. Kasumi wasn't quite frowning at him, but she wasn't smiling. In Ranma's book Kasumi without a smile equalled very bad thing, so she quickly plucked Ryouga from her foot and carried him into the next room along with his clothes. "Sorry man. Come on, we'll change you back."  
  
Once Ranma had vanished Kasumi smiled again. She didn't know if he did it on purpose or by pure luck, but he sure had a knack for brightening people up. His methods were a little..unusual though.  
  
With Ranma gone for the moment, the room exploded with talking. Genma puffed his chest out and smirked. "See Tendo, that's why I adopted the boy. I knew he had a lot of hidden potential. I must admit even I wouldn't have thought he was saving the world!"  
  
Naturally Genma forgot the fact that Ranma had 'convinced' him to take Shinji along for the ride, so Soun had every reason to be very proud of his old friend. "Indeed Saotome. To think a noble warrior like your adopted son is staying at our home and then he is even too humble to tell us of his glorious past!"  
  
Everyone else sweat dropped when both men started dancing happily. Akane was the first to voice everyone's thoughts. "How can these two idiots believe such a story without any questions asked?"  
  
"Because it's true." Everyone, save for the still catatonic Ukyo and the two dancing fathers(read: idiots), crashed to the floor when hearing those words from the most skeptical person in the room: Nabiki. Well.actually that's not true, Kasumi only blinked a few times, but what else did you expect from her?  
  
Once she was standing again, Shinji looked Nabiki over with a confused look. "You actually believe me??!"  
  
Nabiki gave everyone an exasperated look. "You don't have to look so surprised. Everybody with a little brain can see it's true. Under normal circumstances such a story sounds far too unbelievable to think of as a cover, so nobody would use it. Shinji has also given us far too many details for this story to be fake. Only a person who has been there or a raving lunatic can tell a story on such a detailed level."  
  
Shinji peered at Nabiki closely. "And how do you know I'm not a raving lunatic, or just a very good liar?"  
  
For a moment a hurt look flashed over Nabiki's features, before her mask was once again in place. "Contrary to what you may believe right now I didn't ask for your story because I thought you a threat to my family, but because I wanted to know the real story. I know you're neither a raving lunatic nor a good liar, but it seems I didn't see until now that you're a selfish idiot, who doesn't feel the need to appreciate if somebody cares for him. If you'll excuse me now, I have some business to attend to."  
  
As Nabiki stormed up the stairs, Shinji stood there gaping. Being called a selfish idiot by Nabiki hurt a lot, but not knowing why hurt a lot more. It was a legitimate question to ask how she had figured out her story, wasn't it? Not that it mattered now. What mattered was that Nabiki was angry with her, and even though she had only a general inkling as to what she wanted to say with her last words, she knew that she had to make it up to her .now. Decision made the youngest Saotome took a resolute step towards the stairs. "The rest will have to wait for a moment.I have to clear this up first." Just then Ranma and a fully clothed Ryuoga came back into the room and Shinji waved in Ranma's direction. "If you have any questions, just ask Ranma. She knows most of what I could have told you." Then the blue-haired girl vanished up the stairs  
  
Once Shinji was gone, Ranma asked the most obvious thing. "What the hell just happened?"  
  
Kasumi, being the very helpful girl she was, gave Ranma her answer. "It seems Nabiki and Shinji had a little problem with each other and now Nabiki is a little upset"  
  
Oddly enough Kasumi smiled while saying that and Ranma once again wondered what Kasumi knew that she didn't. 'One of these days I'll now what's going on around me.someday' ..poor Ranma, It would take quite a while until then.  
  
*******************  
  
Shinji stood before Nabiki's door; her right fist rose to knock, but she hesitated. Something like this didn't come easy to her and not knowing for what she would apologize would make this a lot harder. In a corner of her mind she wondered why she thought this was hard. Hadn't she apologized to Asuka all day long in her old world? The answer to her own question came quickly and like a hard blow: those weren't apologies but simply means to appease other people. It seemed Nabiki was right. If making a false apology to someone so you could live a better life wasn't selfish, what was?  
  
But Shinji had changed, and this was going to be a real apology. She knocked on the door.  
  
"Go away." Nabiki's voice sounded broken through the door  
  
"We need to talk this out Nabiki."  
  
No sound came from the other side of the door.  
  
Shinji swallowed, her throat strangely dry. She was going to do this. With a shaking hand she twisted the handle and opened the door.  
  
As Shinji stepped through the door the author wondered how cliché the next scene would be.  
  
**************  
  
Downstairs  
  
"What do you mean he wants to go back if he can?" "Shinji promised he'd try to get to know us! He can't go."  
  
"Hey now, it's Shinji's decision not mine. If you want to talk about it, get Shinji."  
  
Kaori watched with amusement as Ranma tried to fight off Pepper and Spice. Shortly after Shinji had left, the two girls had started bombarding Ranma with questions and somehow the redhead let it slip that Shinji intended to go back to his world. Needless to say that didn't sit well with the twins. Not that it sat well with Kaori either, but unlike the twins, who were overanxious to know more about Shinji's possible way of escape, she knew talking to Shinji was the only way to clear this up. It wasn't like she could force him to stay here, considering what responsibility rested on his shoulders, but she would be damned if she just let it go and left him.  
  
Next to Kaori, Ukyo, who was still a little out of it with all that had happened, watched as the twins chased Ranma all over the room. She still had trouble believing her fiancée had been turned into a girl and in her opinion just beating Ranma up and leaving would have been the best idea. Just because she had dressed like a boy for ten years, being another girl's fiancée didn't exactly appeal to her. The fact that her fiancé's adopted brother, who was also a girl at the moment, was from another world only served to up the unreality factor several times.  
  
Ukyo was roused from her contemplative state when somebody waved a hand in front of her eyes. She looked up to be greeted by a nervous Ryouga. "Hey Ukyo, are you all right?"  
  
"Yeah.it's just.is it always this crazy around here?"  
  
Ryouga looked around the room for show and shook his head. "Naw, it's never been that bad since I first set foot into Nerima. Frankly, that little admission of Shinji's threw me for a loop as well. Not a lot we can do about it though.save for upping his training of course; can't have anybody but the best save the world, right?"  
  
"You sound like it's a sure bet Shinji will be able to save his world."  
  
"Of course it is!" Ukyo whirled around to find Ranma standing behind her. "He's managed the first eleven angels all by himself and now he has our martial arts knowledge to fall back on. There's no way he can lose."  
  
"Aiya, Airen is too confident in little brother. Shinji had help from other pilots as well!"  
  
Open mouth, insert foot. "So? They're only girls!" Ranma still hadn't managed to get rid of that little problem completely.  
  
The next moment Ranma was surrounded from all sides, various implements of pain being waved in her general direction. "Are you saying we're weak?!"  
  
Ryouga slowly crept away from the scene. Every female in the room, save for Kasumi and Kaori seemed very intent to show Ranma the error of her statement and Ryouga did not want to be in their way.  
  
Fortunately for Ranma's continued health, someone knocked on the door that moment. "I'll get it"  
  
The next moment a red blur dashed towards the door and the girls found themselves facing empty space.  
  
Ranma opened the front door to come face to face with a middle-aged woman whose coppery red hair was done up in a bunch. "How may I help you Ma'am?"  
  
The woman smiled and shifted her grip on the long wrapped bundle that she was carrying. "I'm Nodoka Saotome. Nabiki Tendo has told me I could meet my son and husband here?"  
  
Ranma could only stare.  
  
******************** Nabiki did not move from her prone position on her bed when Shinji entered. All she wanted to do was cry her heart out, but not in front of their houseguest. The self-proclaimed Ice queen of Furinkan was loath to admit it, but Shinji's reaction to her request to know what was going on hurt a lot more than it should have. For once all she had wanted was to know the full story behind Shinji, not because she thought him a threat to her family, but simply out of curiosity. Yet, Shinji looked so surprised when she told him that she believed his story, it was clear that he thought her a suspicious and cold hearted bitch, even though he knew she was doing most of the things she did to keep the family afloat.  
  
So what could the currently female boy want from her now that everything had been said and done?  
  
For a few seconds all was silent after the door had been closed and then Nabiki heard how Shinji moved over to her position with soft footfalls. When she felt the weight of another person settle on the side of her bed a moment later and a hand softly brushing her shoulder she flinched. 'How dare he touch me after what has happened!'  
  
When Shinji felt Nabiki flinch under her touch, she swallowed. Getting this close to the older girl was a very bold move, but one that Shinji felt was necessary to get her point across. "Nabiki? I don't know what I did down there that upset you so much, but please believe me if I say I didn't mean to. I.that is.ah..." What else could she say?  
  
Suddenly Nabiki turned around and sat upright to glare Shinji right in the eye. "What are you trying to do? Apologize without even knowing why? Do you know how that makes me feel, huh? Lower than dirt! First you as good as tell me I'm a suspicious little bitch and then you wonder what made me feel bad?!"  
  
Shinji's eyes widened. Surely she would have remembered making such an insult, directly or indirectly. "What are you talking about Nabiki?"  
  
The older girl looked at her incredulously. "Oh I don't know! Maybe the moment I told you I believe your story, only to have you looking at me like it isn't possible for me to do such a thing! The others I could understand, but you! You know me a lot better than other people and still think all I am capable of is mistrust!"  
  
Shinji's eyebrow twitched slightly before she got it under control. 'What is it with misunderstandings in this world?' "Nabiki, listen, you're totally wrong here. I mean, I know you're the most level headed person in this household, and I thought if anybody told you such a story you would surely question its possibility. That has nothing to do with being suspicious. It would have been a normal reaction, that's why I couldn't understand that you believed me! ...Why did you anyway?"  
  
By now Nabikihad stopped glaring and her lips had turned upwards slightly. It wasn't quite a smile, but it was near ebough. "I believed you because you're not 'anybody' Shinji. I may not have known much of you past, but I know enough about you to know that you're not a very good liar. That's why I thought something was fishy in the first place."  
  
"So.you're not angry at me anymore?"  
  
Nabiki scooted a little closer to Shinji. "Of course, it's not your fault I misunderstood in the first place", she said while leaning forward "Let me make it up to you."  
  
At Nabiki's close proximity Shinji froze, unable to move  
  
Inch for inch, their lips neared and when only a small margin was left, Nabiki hesitated when reason made its appearance. 'I can't do this, he's three years younger than me, and he has three quasi fiancées and he is currently a girl' Fortunately libido came shortly afterwards and gave reason a good kick. 'So? Who cares?' With that Nabiki leaned forward to close the space between their lips.  
  
"POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
.and flinched back out of surprise when Shinji crashed to the ground after being scared out of her wits by Ranma's outburst.  
  
Nabiki cursed her bad luck. 'Sooooo close..I swear the gods must hate me!'  
  
By now Shinji was standing again, a full body flush adorning her body. "I...I think we better check on Ranma, this didn't sound so good."  
  
"Yeah, I wonder what's wrong now."  
  
***********************  
  
Saying Ranma wasn't in the best of moods right now would have earned the understatement-of-the-year-award. Currently the redhead was standing over the unconscious form of her father, whom she had punched moments ago to unwind some of her frustration. Everyone else was giving the redhead a wide berth, save for the woman whom everyone now knew to be Ranma's mother. Said woman stepped closer to the fuming redhead. "If I may ask, why are you attacking my husband? The contract I made with him and my son is none of your business. Now, if you would please show me my son, so I can convince myself of his manliness?"  
  
Ranma growled. She couldn't believe the woman before her was actually her mother. The stoicism and pure single-mindedness she executed clashed horribly with the few memories she had of a caring mother and made her very angry. All this time she had wanted to meet her mother and now that the moment was here she wished she would have never seen her mother again. "All right. You want to see Ranma, please follow me."  
  
Nodoka hurried after Ranma into the kitchen, where the girl opened the faucet over the sink. "I'll give you the short story: Genma and Ranma were in China and fell into a pair of cursed springs. This body is the curse.", She quickly stuck her hand under the running warm water and gritted her teeth against the incredible pain .".and...this.is your son. Not what you expected, huh?"  
  
'So that's why she.HE hugged me at the door.' After thinking that, Nodoka decided to do the sensible thing and fainted.  
  
***********************  
  
Nabiki and Shinji came down the stairs to find Ranma, in male form, coming in from the kitchen carrying a middle aged woman with red hair.  
  
"Oh no! I totally forgot about Mrs. Saotome!"  
  
Shinji looked back and forth between Nabiki and the new woman. "Come again?!"  
  
Nabiki sighed and shook her head. "Yeah, you heard right. I found Ranma's mom and invited her over today. And from the looks of things I would say Ranma has just demonstrated the curse to her."  
  
After lying down Nodoka on the couch, Ranma looked at Nabiki, a half thankful, half sad look in his eyes. "Thanks for bringing her over Nabs. At least now I know I haven't missed out on anything these last ten years."  
  
Nabiki gave Ranma a cool look. "Really Saotome, I think you don't appreciate this enough. When I told your mother I knew where you are she couldn't wait to see you and you look like you don't want to see her."  
  
Ranma's look was a lot colder when he answered. "Well duh, You wouldn't be overjoyed to see your mother either if the first thing she does is trying to decide if she should kill you or not because of a stupid contract made 10 years ago! Even Shinji's father isn't that bad of a parent!"  
  
*********************** In his office Gendo Ikari suddenly swelled with pride for no reason at all. ***********************  
  
Nabiki and Shinji looked around the room. "Is he serious?"  
  
Their question was answered when Soun came out of nowhere and hugged them tightly. "Oh the tragedy! To be allowed to train Ranma, Genma made a pact with his wife to make Ranma a man among men or commit seppuku with his son if he failed! But Ranma is half girl! BWAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!" As Soun showered them with tears while altering between wail #571(Ranma and Genma will die) and wail #572(Without Genma I won't be able to play shogi again) As usual Soun's wailing was ignored by everyone. That didn't save Nabiki and Shinji from getting drenched though, nor did it make Ranma less annoyed. "Will you stop wailing already? It's not like anybody is going to die today!"  
  
Soun's wailing only grew louder.  
  
Extracting herself from Soun's death grip Shinji looked Ranma in the eyes. "Please tell me you're not planning on going through with this if she says so."  
  
"Of course I will go through with it; it's a matter of honour after all."  
  
*SLAP*  
  
Everyone stared after Shinji had slapped Ranma. "Are you out of your mind? I've told you time and again that honour is very important, but that you shouldn't be forced to do things because of it which are clearly wrong, and you still won't listen?!"  
  
Ranma looked down on Shinji with a resigned expression. "It isn't wrong. I have signed the contract as well with my handprint. Besides, what else would I have when I lose my honour?"  
  
"Airen would have live. I no understand all Japanese customs, but I know dying because of contract made when six year old is not honourable. Airen should listen to Shinji and ignore dumb contract."  
  
"Shampoo is right Ranma! There's no reason at all why you should feel bound by that contract. Heck, I'm not Nabiki, but even I know that contract can't be legal!"  
  
Ranma cocked his head to the side. _Why_ was he bound by the contract? Shampoo's and Akane's arguments were sound, so why would he go through with it? "..I.You're right, going through with this would be dumb."  
  
A groan from the couch alerted everyone to the fact that Nodoka was once again conscious. "What happened?"  
  
As Nodoka sat up Ranma strode in front of her. "Hello mother."  
  
Nodoka looked at Ranma for a moment and suddenly the teen found himself on the receiving end of a bear hug. "Oh my manly son! How I missed you all these years!"  
  
Not knowing how to react Ranma simply stood there mumbling. "Yeah, I missed you too.mom."  
  
Just as suddenly as she hugged him Nodoka let go. "Ranma, my son, I had a strange dream where you told me you are cursed to turn into a girl? Do you have any idea how I could think something like that up?"  
  
"That wasn't a dream mom."  
  
"It...wasn't?"  
  
Ranma shook his head  
  
The next moment Nodoka had unwrapped the long bundle she had brought with her and was holding a katana in her hands. "In that chase I want to see you and your father in the dojo as soon as possible. Clearly Genma didn't make you a man among men if you are a girl half the time!"  
  
Behind Nodoka Shinji only resisted the urge to face fault because the situation was so serious. 'That loony is Ranma's mother?' Nonetheless she thought it best to intervene here. Ranma's mother may have been a loony and he wasn't going to abide to the contract, but that was no reason for them not to try and make this family union not into a total disaster. "I believe you're acting a little premature, Mrs. Saotome."  
  
Mother turned around to see who spoke. "And why is that my dear?"  
  
Shinji noted that Nodoka's voice was pretty cheerful for someone who was currently talking about her son's execution. "I mean that turning into a girl isn't exactly the best way to measure manliness. In fact, I would say you're seeing this from a wrong point of view. Just think about it, your young and virile son, training hard with his father to become the best only to suffer such a cruel fate, all for the sake of training. Lesser men would have gone mad what with being a girl half of the time, yet your son forged ahead more determined then ever. Heck, shortly after getting cursed he saved me from certain death by allowing me to travel along with them and afterwards he drew the fancy of a whole village of Amazons onto himself so that some even followed him over here. And what did he do here? He drew the fancy of Kodachi Kuno as well, one of the most beautiful and rich girls in Nerima! If that isn't manly, then I don't know what is."  
  
As Nodoka contemplated Shinji's little speech, Nabiki poked Shinji in the side and whispered. "You know Shinji-kun, you maybe a lousy at lying outright but you know your way with half truths. It's really a good thing she doesn't know Kodachi is a crazy lunatic, or that being fancied by Amazons means fighting for your life half the time."  
  
Right then Nodoka came out of her contemplation and whirled around again, not giving a second glance in Shinji's direction. "The young lady has a point. Very well, I'm more than satisfied with you for the moment son."  
  
Ranma released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. This was a lot more than he had hoped for. Maybe there was still a chance for him to have a real mother.even if she acted like a loony half the time. Not that this was the most important thing at the moment. The pain radiating from the hand he had stuck under the warm water hadn't diminished at all and he was sick of it. "Thanks mom. Now if you'll excuse I need go into the kitchen for a moment."  
  
Several people looked bewildered as Ranma vanished through the kitchen door, only to hear the water running moments later followed by a sigh of relief. "What was that all about?" Asked a confused Nodoka.  
  
"That's what I would like to know as well" Said Ryouga and Ukyo at the same time.  
  
"That would be our great-grandmother's fault.", said Spice to get everyone's attention and started giving a brief summary of the 'full body cat's tongue' incident with her sister. "..and so I would imagine submerging his hand in warm water without cooling it afterwards would hurt a lot, right Shinji?"  
  
"Yeah, that about sums it up."  
  
"Oh my poor baby!" *Whoosh* "MOM! Cut it out, will ya?"  
  
Everyone sweat dropped after Nodoka had vanished through the kitchen door in a red blur. "Sham...I did not know you could move so fast in a kimono!"  
  
"Neither did I sugar", said Ukyo while standing up "I'll better get going now.had enough craziness for one day."  
  
As the girl marched out the door, Shampoo's eyes widened. "Aiya, I forgot we should be at Cat Café long time ago! Shampoo and cousins need to get going too. Bye!"  
  
Pepper and Spice were equally shocked, but instead of hurrying after Shampoo at once they made a beeline for Shinji. Needless to say Shinji got a bit nervous when the two girls drew near. "Uhm.guys.what are you doing? Shouldn't you hurry after Shampoo?"  
  
Pepper smiled from ear to ear, now only a few feet from Shinji. "Why, kissing you goodbye of course!"  
  
The next moment Pepper was busy trying to fuse their lips together while Shinji tried hard not to faint. Once Pepper released her, Spice quickly took her place. Another drawn out kiss later the twins gave Shinji a determined glare, which was of course totally lost on the cursed boy.. "And don't you think you're off the hook yet mister. We will talk about you going back sometime soon!"  
  
After both sisters had gotten what they wanted, they waved and were out there door. Shinji was standing perfectly still and Nabiki waved a hand in front of her face. "Wow.!" was all the reaction she got before the blue-haired girl fell flat on her back, totally out of it.  
  
Kaori, who had planned to do the same as Pepper and Spice before going, could only shake her head. "Easy to please, isn't he? Tell Shinji bye for me, will you? I need to get going as well."  
  
Once Kaori was gone, Nabiki tried picking Shinji up. "Could you please help me here Ryouga? I want to get him into bed."  
  
The lost boy shrugged and picked the younger girl up without any problem at all and followed Nabiki upstairs, where he dumped Shinji on her futon. Turning back to Nabiki he blushed a little.  
  
"Uhm.say...would it be possible for me to sleep here?"  
  
The middle Tendo daughter shrugged. "Sure, it's not like you have any other place to stay."  
  
"Thanks. I'll just go down and get my things."  
  
As Ryuoga vanished downstairs, Nabiki stared at Shinji's prone form. 'How come the first guy I lo.like has 3 friggin fiancées who want him just as much as me? I hope you're worth the trouble Shinji-kun.'  
  
"MY SON IS SOO MANLY!!!!"  
  
Nabiki just knew this was going to be a long day...  
  
*************************  
  
As she trudged homewards together with Pepper and Spice, Shampoo noted that the day had sucked big time. First they had learned of Shinji's origins, only to hear from him that he would go back if he could. Then the crazy loon that called herself Ranma's mother came by and threatened to make him commit suicide if he didn't meet her expectations in the future, which of course lowered Ranma's mood enough that trying to spent some quality time with him had been impossible. And last but not least she was still facing the punishment from her great-grandmother for being late. ''  
  
It seems Shampoo has never heard of Murphy's Law.  
  
  
  
Following that exclamation someone attached himself to Shampoo's body. The lavender-haired girl reacted promptly by punching the offending person in the face. "Stupid Mousse! Sham.I am not your love. Leave...me alone, had very bad day."  
  
After quickly recovering from being used as a punching bag, which indicated that the newcomer was used to such punishment, the boy, who was called Mousse, stood in Shampoo's way. "But Shampoo, I'm only here to save you from the undeserving cur who has become your husband! To think out of all the warriors you had to be the one unfortunate enough to end up with this Saotome."  
  
Spice rolled her eyes at the blind idiot before her. Without his glasses, which Shampoo had sent flying with her punch, Mousse was blind like a bat. "I'm not Shampoo, Mousse. You do realize that you will be punished for being here right? Why don't you go back to China so we won't have to tell great-grandmother you were here?"  
  
The blind boy chuckled and pulled a second pair of glasses out of his voluminous sleeves. After brushing his long black hair back to put them on he smiled. "Sorry Spice, I didn't see you there. Unfortunately I can't accept your offer. I cannot let someone who is not worthy of my Shampoo become her husband."  
  
Both Pepper and Spice rolled their eyes. Mousse could have had almost any girl in the village because he was the best male martial arts of his age, but his unhealthy attraction to Shampoo made going after him very unattractive to all the girls. Why he couldn't see that Shampoo would sooner die an old maid than be his wife, nobody really knew. "Mousse, don't you think it's Shampoo's decision who is worthy of her and who is not?"  
  
"No!"  
  
*POOM*  
  
"What did I doooooooooooooooo."  
  
As Spice and Pepper watched the small speck that was Mousse disappearing in the distance they couldn't help but whistle. "Wow that has to be a new record."  
  
Shampoo couldn't share her cousins' enthusiasm for this new record. Her fist was hurting like heck from punching Mousse into LEO. After all the beatings he had taken his head was _very_ hard. ''  
  
Surprisingly, she was right.  
  
************************  
  
"Captain, we got out the last of the equipment that was salvageable."  
  
Captain Hiro Utatane smiled at his second in command, a tall American with brown hair named Johnson. "Finally. We're already several hours behind schedule thanks to that damn landslide. Johnson, get everything ready so we can get this baby to port safely."  
  
"Yes sir." A look upwards, "I'm sure the men will do their best to get rid of that thing as soon as possible."  
  
As Johnson hurried away, Hiro couldn't help but look up as well. The whole freaking landing deck of the aircraft carrier he was commanding had been transformed into a huge cargo hold to store a huge purple monstrosity that was called EVA 01. The robot, or whatever it was, was currently lying on deck and even though most of it was covered with a huge tarp to keep spying eyes away he could look directly into the monstrosity's dead eyes from his vantage point. No matter how often he did it, it always gave him the creeps. Whatever it was, Hiro knew it was very bad news.  
  
The fact that lifting the giant free had caused a landslide and a seismic tremor only drove that fact home. Had it been his choice Hiro wouldn't have taken something like it onto his ship, but since it was the only ship at the disposal of the Japanese military that was up for the task, he hadn't had much choice when the General had 'asked' for his ship.  
  
Hiro frowned when thinking of the General. The pompous asshole had been bothering him during the whole mission, telling him to go faster, but never moving a finger himself. Oh no mister, Yuan Yamato was far too important to actually work for his money. Hiro was sure the idiot was currently sitting in his chair, ordering around the bridge crew even though there was nothing to order right now. At that moment Hiro Utatane wished with all of his being, that _somebody_ would spit Yamato into the soup. A little disaster would do that man some good.  
  
*******************  
  
A few hours earlier Shortly after EVA 01 was freed from its temporary prison, a seismic tremor had been registered. What no one knew was that this tremor was currently travelling towards a secluded mountainside with pin-point accuracy. Somewhere in that mountainside, a sealed cave was hidden. It hadn't been disturbed for ten years and seemed in perfect condition.and yet, when the tremor hit the huge stone shoved in front of the entrance, it crumbled into powder.  
  
Within, something ancient and evil rose from its long slumber to greet the daylight. Once again it would sow terror in those whose paths it would cross and a few other persons who would never even know of its existence "Here I come, my silky darlings! After all these years!"  
  
**************************  
  
In Nerima Ranma and Shinji suddenly felt the need to check if all of their underwear was still there, as weird as that sounded.  
  
Several other Nerimian women suddenly felt the need to leave town for the next ..say.10 years or so.  
  
*************************  
  
Ikari Gendo didn't know why, but he had a feeling if he would see his son again, Shinji wouldn't appreciate jokes about wrinkled old perverts. 'A pity too.old man Fuyutsuki is always good for a chuckle or two..'  
  
Standing next to Ikari, Fuyutsuki couldn't help but feel that someone was laughing at his expense...  
  
The End  
  
*************************  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Well, that's it; several weeks later than planned and shorter than it was planned, but at least its here, right? Not much else to say. You liked it? Review! You didn't like it? Review!  
  
As usual I want to thank my prereaders kuracao, NuStrike and RanShin for their help in making this readable.  
  
And now on with the Omake, once again provided by kuracao. I personally think it would explain a lot  
  
Be afraid. Last warning!  
  
OMAKE  
  
****************************  
  
"..... He drew the fancy of Kodachi Kuno as well, one of the most beautiful and rich girls in Nerima! If that isn't manly than I don't know what is."  
  
Nodoka blinked. "Kodachi-chan?" Everyone looked strangely at Ranma's mother after her response.  
  
With a frustrated sigh, Shinji asked. "You know Kodachi Kuno?"  
  
Nodoka responded cheerfully. "Yes of course, she is my niece! Such a nice girl, she knows all that is needed to be a good wife. I trained her personally! And Tatewaki-kun, a noble samurai following the way of the family, I hope that my son will take some lessons from him!"  
  
After a long silence, Ranma asked the dreaded question. "Mom, Kuno is my . cousin?"  
  
Nodoka turned toward her son/daughter. "My maiden name was Nodoka Kuno. I took your father's name because he was so manly after his training with the Master." The last answer floored everyone in the room except Genma and Soun.  
  
Akane kept thinking about Kuno and Ranma being cousin. Nabiki winced internally for not double checking Nodoka's records. Kasumi revised her potential love for Ranma: she was not ready to have a Kuno as mother-in- law. Shinji could only stare stupidly at Nodoka. At last, Ranma thought seriously about making something not manly to end this madness before another revelation could be made. 


	12. SS11 The Devil Itself Part 1

Chapter 11 - The Devil Itself  
  
Part 1  
  
Ranma-chan strode towards the cat café with a confident air about her. Today she would finally get her masculinity back by getting the Phoenix pill. It had been four days since Shinji had told everyone about his origins and surprisingly the days afterwards had been relatively calm, which had allowed Ranma to train the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken almost all the time, save for the intervals when her mother came by and insisted on showing her proper etiquette and a little bit of swordplay. True, it had annoyed the hell out of Ranma at the first day, but she had to admit it was nice to spend time with her mother again. Even with that little distraction she had finally mastered the technique though, and had even spent another day to perfect it.  
  
Ranma's mood darkened a bit.  
  
The same couldn't be said for Shinji. The blue haired part-time girl hadn't been able to train nearly as much as Ranma, because nearly everyone who knew her and had heard her story had tried at one time or another to talk her out of going back if she could or to take them along for the ride. Pepper and Spice had been especially determined. In a way Ranma was very proud of her 'sister' because she didn't look like she would ever cave in. Shinji had made it perfectly clear that it was her duty and her duty alone. Of course Ranma wasn't about to tell her that she would go with Shinji when the time came, no matter if it was her duty or not.  
  
Ranma cleared all thoughts about the future from her mind when she arrived at her destination. Without missing a step she opened the door to enter the nearly empty restaurant. It was later afternoon and only a few patrons were still sitting around to finish their portions or talk with one another. Not that it really mattered, what was important was getting the Phoenix pill "Hey old ghoul! You here?"  
  
"Of course son-in-law", returned the answer from the kitchen "I'll be with you in a moment."  
  
Not 20 seconds later Cologne came hobbling in on her staff. "Now, what can I do for you son-in-law?"  
  
Ranma smirked arrogantly. "You could hand me the Phoenix pill right now to spare yourself the humiliation of losing it unwillingly."  
  
Cologne simply cocked an eyebrow at the prideful youth. "You seem very sure of yourself son-in-law. Still, I must refuse your generous offer."  
  
The sarcasm dripping from her last words wasn't lost on Ranma, but as she did often with these things, she ignored it. "Your loss old ghoul. Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"  
  
Suddenly Ranma's hand shot forward to make a grab for the pill, yet Cologne easily evaded her lunge, just like she did the next hundred. While the two battled the last patrons were quick to leave the restaurant, knowing from prior experience this could get ugly very fast.  
  
After two minutes of fruitless struggling, Ranma stopped out of breath. "God...dammit.why.are.you.so damn.fast!"  
  
Cologne whacked him over the head with her cane. "Because you're a few hundred years too young, son-in-law. I suggest you loose some of that attitude of yours. It is truly impressive for you to have learned the technique in a week, but that is no reason for you to assume you can get faster in one week than I did in three hundred years."  
  
Suddenly Ranma was back on her feet. "But I don't have three hundred years! I want this damn 'full body cat's tongue' gone now, not when I die!"  
  
Cologne gave Ranma a piercing look in return. "Do not worry, child. You mastered the technique, so I will give you the pill." Ranma made to speak but Cologne ignored it. "But only, if you listen very closely to what I have to say."  
  
Something in her tone told Ranma that listening and understanding what came next was a very good idea, so she forced her joy over getting the pill down and concentrated. "All right, I'm listening."  
  
Cologne nodded, happy to note that Ranma could be responsible if given a reason. "As you may have already guessed Pepper and Spice have told me of Shinji's origins after coming home four days ago, and he confirmed their story two days ago. To put it simply: I'm worried. It is obvious he has every intention of getting his Unit back once it is found. It is also obvious you have every intention of going against his wish to go alone."  
  
Ranma blinked. "How did you know?"  
  
"Ranma, out of all the people in Nerima you probably care the most about him. Considering that even Shampoo has decided to come with him, it is only logical you will do so as well."  
  
"So? What's the problem?"  
  
*Clonk* Cologne bopped Ranma over the head once again. "Don't interrupt. Why are you young people always so impatient? Anyway, the problem is that something as big as an EVA is bound to raise enough eyebrows, not matter who found it. That means it is almost a safe bet we will have to get involved with the military to get the EVA."  
  
"So we're just gonna go in there and bust their nuts!"  
  
*CLONK*  
  
"Hey, will you stop it, that hurt!"  
  
"Nonetheless it was necessary, because you have just proven my point! If we go up against the military it won't be a game! You must understand this! True, I believe you would have no trouble defeating up to ten armed soldiers, but if the EVA is as powerful as I think it is we're talking about hundreds of highly trained soldiers. Each and every one of them armed with weapons that, against what you may believe, can and will kill you with one hit!"  
  
Ranma frowned. "If you're trying to tell me to be careful, I got it. I know well enough what a bullet can do to you. So why are you telling me this?"  
  
Cologne sighed, Ranma could be very dense when he wanted "Because knowing alone is not enough! You are very important to Shinji, more so than anyone else, and I think we both know what would happen if you died because of your foolishness while trying to help him."  
  
"Yeah, he would probably blame himself for it."  
  
"Exactly. Now Ranma, I want you to promise that, should we deal with the military or any other dangerous group in the future, you will act accordingly to make sure you stay alive!"  
  
Ranma shrugged; this was a promise he was more than willing to make. "Very well, I promise to treat 'live and death situations' occurring in the future accordingly to make sure I stay alive. Happy?"  
  
Cologne nodded and took of the pill, which was still hanging on a necklace around her decrepit neck. "Yes. I just hope some of what I tried to tell you got through this thick skull of yours. Here's your reward."  
  
Ranma took the pill and swallowed it quickly. Her cure now secured the redhead looked at Cologne questioningly. "Why are you giving me advice anyway?"  
  
Cologne's eyes twinkled. "Simple: I would hate for my favorite son-in-law and his brother to die while trying to save the world. And remember my advice!"  
  
Ranma stood up and bowed. "No prob. Just become a little more like Shinji when I first met him."  
  
Cologne cackled. "An astute comparison son-in-law. Your brother has come a long way since then though."  
  
Ranma chuckled. "Yeah, now he doesn't think of making a fire some kind of battle anymore. Anyway, I'll be going now"  
  
Cologne watched as Ranma stopped, the door already halfway open, and turned around. "Thanks, by the way."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"For caring, granny." With that the redhead disappeared out the door Left alone in the empty restaurant Cologne could only manage a wistful smile. "It seems he is not the only one who has come a long way since then, Ranma.granny...sounds a lot better than old ghoul."  
  
**********************  
  
Outside  
  
Now out of Cologne's presence Ranma did the one thing she had wanted to do all along. "I CAN BE A MAN AGAIN! LALA LALA JABADA! JUHU!..."  
  
On the other side of the street an old man shook his head. "Really! The youth of today has no restraint at all!"  
  
**********************  
  
Somewhere else  
  
Mousse groaned when he woke up, his head felt like someone had slammed a sledgehammer into it. Shampoo was getting too strong for his own good!  
  
Finally his awareness returned enough to realize he was lying in a soft bed, not in a 3 foot deep crater of his own making somewhere in Tokyo. 'What the hell!'  
  
He heard the door open and sat up.  
  
"Oh I see you're awake! That's nice to know. We can begin your treatment now." Missing his glasses Mousse couldn't make out anything, but the voice sounded strange. It sounded female, but it had a strange screeching quality to it.  
  
Deciding that he would at least like to se his host Mousse pulled out his spare-glasses from.somewhere and put them.  
  
He got one look at his host and could only say one thing "..mommy.." Then he proceeded to pass out promptly.  
  
The man standing in the doorway tried to pout cutely, an effect that was totally ruined by his missing teeth, the scar on his left temple and his unshaven beard. "puh.I even put on my darling pink tutu for you and you pass out on me like that. That's no way to treat your new master. Oh well, we can always discipline you later my stud muffin!"  
  
Having said what he came to say, the overweight gay dominatrix in a pink tutu left the room happily swinging his whip.  
  
********************** The next day  
  
Shinji cursed her rotten luck as she tried desperately to look at anything but the bunch of half naked girls that were currently sharing the changing room with her. Trying not to be suspicious was made almost impossible by the fact that every instinct was telling her to goggle like this was her last day alive While she changed into her own sportswear, Shinji imagined what would happen if the school found out about his curse now and shuddered.he would be very lucky to be alive afterwards.  
  
Just then the girl next to her unhooked her bra  
  
'Scratch that, I'll be dead for sure'  
  
Nonetheless Shinji guessed it could be worse, she didn't know how, but she was sure it was possible.  
  
"AAAHHHH get it off! Get it off! GETITOFF!"  
  
Shinji's head snapped up only to see what looked like a wrinkled old gnome groping some girl's chest. Said girl, Shinji thought her name was Naomi, was beating on the pervert with both hands without effect. The only positive about that was that the gnome was just enough to cover Naomi's generous and unclothed bust, thus keeping Shinji from going totally brain dead. That enabled her to rush forward and act on her first impulse, namely planting a full power punch on top of the gome's head.  
  
Unfortunately the only lasting affect was a short grunt the pervert gave when he hit the floor only to attach himself to her own breasts. "Hotcha! You're a lively one eh? That was quite a punch missy, but you can make it up to me by letting an old man snuggle with you."  
  
The gnome looked up at Shinji's face when a low growl issued from her throat and noted the icy look she gave him. "Something the matter, sweeto? Anything old Happosai can do to make it better?"  
  
"Let go!"  
  
Happosai found himself in the process of loosening his 'hug' before he even realized it ,so commanding was her voice, yet he stopped the last moment. The Grandmaster of the Anything Goes School wasn't about to be ordered around by a mere slip of a girl after all. "Sorry sweeto, but I don't wanna leave those nice pillows!"  
  
Shinji's fist clenched. "DIE PERVERT!"  
  
The next moment Happosai was dodging all over the place as Shinji tried to visit mortal harm upon his body. "Hey now easy, that's now reason to go down the deep end girl!"  
  
"No reason?! NO REASON?! FIRST I AM FORCED TO RUN AROUND LIKE THIS FOR A WEEK!"  
  
Jump over punch. "I don't see anything wrong with that!"  
  
"THEN I'M FORCED TO GO SHOPPING FOR GIRL'S CLOTHES!"  
  
Duck under kick "Well, of course, you have to show that body of yours after all."  
  
"AND TO TOP IT OFF YOU GROPED ME!"  
  
Block another punch. "Nothing wrong with a good groping!"  
  
"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I THINK OF YOUR GROPING!"  
  
By now the two fighters had left the changing room by reducing the door to splinters and Shinji was racing after Happosai . Now that she was out in the open and the chance of hitting someone else was pretty much reduced to nothing, Shinji cut loose with everything she had.  
  
Happosai simply increased his speed accordingly to keep avoiding her strikes, but raised an eyebrow in interest. The girl was clearly using the Anything Goes style, his school! "You know girl, you have good speed and decent strength, but your form is simply horrible!" Duck a straight punch. "That punch was overextended!" Redirect the follow up. "I saw that one coming a mile away!" Reverse grip and throw the girl. *CRASH* "Come on girl! I can't have you dragging the Anything Goes through the mud like that!"  
  
Shinji took a calming breath after standing up and rubbing her smarting head. She realized her opponent was goading her on, a tactic Ranma and especially Genma used often in training. Normally she wouldn't react to any kind of insult, but as enraged as she already was it was tempting to rise to the bait. Nonetheless she forced her anger down and instead concentrated on the task at hand, namely kicking the gnome's ass. Of course, the fact that she was breathing like she had run two days straight while the gnome didn't show any kind of tiring indicated that hell was more likely to freeze over than her defeating him. "Alright you .mister, what the hell do you think you're doing, going around and molesting people?! I could have you apprehended for that!"  
  
Happosai cackled. "Girl, the policeman who can apprehend me has yet to be born."  
  
Shinji shuddered. This cackle had sounded a lot like Cologne's, not surprising, considering both of them looked about the same age. "That's still no reason for you to behave like that. Who asked you about my martial arts ability anyway?!"  
  
Happosai waggled a finger at her. "The real question is: Who thought you Anything Goes without the Grandmaster knowing about it?"  
  
Shinji looked at the gnome closely. The posture, the twinkling in his eyes.surely he couldn't mean.or could he? "You're the Grandmaster??"  
  
"Yeah, that's me, good ol Happosai!"  
  
*CRASH*  
  
After recovering from her earth shattering facefault, which added another lump to her already bruised head, Shinji glared daggers at Happosai. "You've got to be kidding me! There's no way a little pervert like you could be Grandmaster of the Anything Goes Style!"  
  
Suddenly the wrinkled gnome turned serious. "That's no way to talk to your elders! Now tell me, who has taught you?"  
  
Surprised by the change of attitude, Shinji answered without thinking about it. "Genma and Ranma."  
  
The old mans eyes lit up. "Genma and Ranma are here?! "  
  
"Uhm...yeah. they're staying at the Tendos"  
  
Happosai suddenly got an evil glint in his eyes. "Good.I need to pay a visit to my ungrateful students and after that I'll check out if Genma did a good job training Ranma! OH! Nearly forgot. I think you should find something to cover that up. I think those boys over there are almost ready to 'choke the chicken' right in front of you." With that he jumped over the wall surrounding the school and vanished.  
  
Shinji blinked. 'What the hell was he talking about?'  
  
Then she looked down to see her _bare_ bust. 'Hey wait a moment...I clearly remember having a bra on when Happosai...came.in.' Needless to say it didn't take much effort to figure out who had removed her bra. "OK THAT MEANS WAR PERVERT!"  
  
Over on the track field several boys pissed their pants, so scary was Shinji's bellowing voice. Others, who had long since stopped hearing and were only watching, suffered from violent nosebleeds as Shinji shaking her fist to the heavens did interesting things to certain parts of her anatomy.  
  
Ranma, who had followed the fight from his seat next to the window, could only shake his head. He had seen the confrontation but had decided not to interfere until the gnome got violent. Now he could only pity the poor fool. Ranma could honestly say he had never ever seen Shinji this angry at anybody...even though he supposed it was stress induced; Shopping with his mother had been hell, after all.  
  
*********************  
  
Several blocks away Happosai felt a chill running down his spine, something that hadn't happened in decades. He only grinned. 'I have a feeling I'll like it around here.'  
  
*********************  
  
At the same time  
  
Genma and Soun also felt a chill running down their respective spines, or what passed for theirs anyway. Unlike Happosai the reason for their sense of foreboding was different.as was their reaction: "OH MY GOD! WE'RE GOING TO DIE SAOTOME!"  
  
*splash*  
  
'I'm just a cute little Panda; surely no one will hurt me!'  
  
A dead Panda impacted the front porch. (1)  
  
Genma started whimpering  
  
********************  
  
The same day, after school  
  
Akane, Ranma, Shinji and Ryouga were walking home. In Shinji's case it was more like stalking though. Both Akane and Ryouga hadn't seen Shinji's earlier confrontation with Happosai because Akane, unlike Ranma, had been concentrating on the lesson and Ryouga had once again been lost. It was clear the lost boy was getting better though, now he never disappeared for longer then 2 days at the most. Of course, considering he got lost every second day that meant he was only in Nerima half the time. Seeing the calculating expression on Shinji's face made Ryouga wish very much to get lost again with Akane gladly following him. Both had been told what happened and were pretty wary of this new unknown, knowing that he had to be a serious pain in the ass to get under Shinji's skin like that.  
  
A few minutes later the small group arrived only to find Genma and Soun cowering in a corner of the living room.  
  
"Daddy? Mr. Saotome? What happened?"  
  
The quivering piece of flesh that was Soun Tendo looked at his youngest daughter with haunted eyes. "He is back. The master is back. OH MY POOR BABY!!" As Soun proceeded with excessive use of wail #573(please shoot me, the master is back) and wail #574(my family is doomed to be fondled) the youths in the room looked at each other.  
  
"Wow, this Happosai has to be a real nightmare. I can't remember seeing pops this cowed ever." Ranma said very perplexed.  
  
Shinji nodded her head. "I told you he was the devil itself."  
  
At that moment Kasumi came out of the kitchen, tranquil smile as perfect as ever. "Now Shinji, it is not nice to talk about grandfather like that. He was very courteous while being here and I offered him a place to sleep for the duration of his stay because he is the Grandmaster of our style."  
  
Shinji's left eye started twitching and Ranma placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do you really think that was a good idea Kasumi? From what I have seen of him he is a little pest."  
  
"Whatever do you mean Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked, now a little unsure of herself.  
  
"There you are Ranma my boy, let's see what you got!" *SPLASH* "SWEETO!"  
  
While Happosai proceeded to snuggle in Ranma-chan's bosom, Kasumi frowned. "Never mind Ranma-kun, I know what you mean."  
  
Ranma didn't answer, the only sign of life her twitching eye, which complemented Shinji's very nicely.  
  
Akane gave Happosai a disgusted look. "Why are you calling that .thing grandfather? He isn't really our grandfather, is he?"  
  
"No, he merely wants us to call him that little sister."  
  
Akane sighed. "Good, I couldn't have lived with myself if I was related to an ugly pervert like that."  
  
*glomp* "Now Akane-chan, that is no way to talk about your dear grandfather, is it?"  
  
It seemed Happosai had gotten bored with Ranma and was now kneading Akane's bosom with vigor.  
  
Akane hated being touched without permission  
  
Ryouga didn't mind a pervert fondling Ranma or Shinji in female form, they were boys normally, after all. A real girl was another matter though.  
  
Two more eyes started twitching. Four mouths uttered the same phrase: "Die, Happosai!"  
  
The next moment the youths vanished out the door, all of them intent on paying back one grandmaster of Anything Goes who was currently sweating bullets. 'The youth today.no sense of humor at all!'  
  
In the background Genma and Sound had stopped whimpering and were cheering on the children.  
  
********************  
  
The next day  
  
Shinji was walking to school together with Nabiki. Because Nabiki was still doing some of her business at school she always started a little earlier to school, which meant the others weren't with them. The walk was very awkward, but Shinji was determined to set things straight with the girl. Ever since their 'almost-but-not-quite-kiss' they had avoided each other and Shinji didn't like that one bit. Nabiki was fun to be around, after all.  
  
She was still gathering her courage, when Nabiki spoke the first words ever since they had left for school. "Hey Shinji, about that kiss.don't think too much about it. I like you and all, but I simply lost my cool back there. It was nothing serious."  
  
Shinji wanted to simply accept her explanation. It would have been the easiest course of action. She did have three quasi fiancées to worry about, after all. Yet.wouldn't she just be running away again? She knew the kiss he had been about to share with Nabiki was the most serious so far. Ignoring something like that was sure to come back and bite her in the ass later on. This needed to be solved now! "Nabiki.we both know that isn't true. I like you as well and I know you good enough to say that you would never kiss someone unless you were 100 percent sure about it."  
  
"You know that's bullshit Shinji, everyone makes mistakes every now and then, even me"  
  
Shinji winced at the crude language and tried to keep her hammering heart in check, this wasn't going at all like she wanted. "That wasn't a mistake Nabiki. Ignoring what has happened would be a mistake."  
  
Nabiki stopped and whirled around to face Shinji fully; her composure pretty much gone now. "Goddammit, don't be an idiot Shinji! You have three quasi fiancées to choose from, not to mention that you're not even from this world. It would never work out with the two of us!"  
  
Shinji forced her instincts, which were screaming at her that it was enough, down and gripped Nabiki's shoulders. "Nabiki.look, I didn't say I want you to become my girlfriend or anything. I want you to be my friend, like you have been before the kiss.if anything else happens that's all the better, but not necessary. OK? Can you live with that?"  
  
Shinji felt like a load the size of a small mountain was lifted of her back when Nabiki gave her a crooked smile after several moments. "I.would like that very much Shinji-kun. But don't you think you can get me and one of your fiancées into the sack together this way!"  
  
Shinji's eyes nearly popped out of her head at Nabiki's suggestion. "I.what.I would never."  
  
Nabiki chuckled. 'He may have had the balls to talk to me, but he was still so irresistible naive about some things.' "Relax Shinji-kun, I was only joking around." Shinji pouted. "Not very funny! I nearly had a heart attack."  
  
With a lighter mood the two continued walking and Nabiki once again broke the silence. "Say Shinji-kun, your book-bag looks like it will burst open any moment now. What do you have in there?  
  
Shinji smiled innocently. "A bunch of bras and panties as well as some negligees."  
  
"Oh, that's goo..YOU WHAT?!"  
  
"Gee, you don't have to scream my ear off, Nabiki!"  
  
"Sorry, but what the hell do you need that for. Are you some kind of pervert? Where did you get them anyway?"  
  
Shinji's innocent smile turned a little more sinister "Don't worry; I begged one of my classmates, whose mother owns a lingerie shop, if I could borrow them."  
  
Nabiki blinked. "And she gave them to you?"  
  
Shinji's smile turned even more sinister, scaring a cat that was running on the other side of the street. "Yes, after I told her what I would use them for she had practically tried to force the whole shop on me."  
  
Nabiki tried her best not to strangle Shinji. The part-time girl knew how to keep you waiting. "And what will you use them for?"  
  
Shinji's smile suddenly turned innocent once more. "Why, revenge of course! Grandfather Happosai is so going to love my present for him!"(2)  
  
Nabiki shuddered when she saw the glint in Shinji's eyes and decided she didn't want to know what her friend had planned.  
  
*******************  
  
Same day, 4:55  
  
Shinji steeled herself as she opened the door to the storage room of the school gym. Stepping inside she smiled as she saw the weapons that would be vital to her revenge: They were old, they were ugly, they were over 60, they were the senior members of the all-female Ranma Saotome fan club.and they had been called here by Shinji.  
  
"Okay ladies. Remember, you are doing Ranma a huge favour with this. He will be always thankful for it." With that she upended her book bag, dropping most of the contents on the floor. "Wear what you want out of this pile and nothing else. You have three minutes to get ready."  
  
The next moment Shinji was out the door, leaving the old crones to stare at each other.  
  
"For Ranma!" One of them shouted in a voice that made you want to crawl under a rock and die. The next moment the bunch of grannies was busy shedding their clothes for something else.  
  
Outside Shinji shuddered as she waited for Happosai to arrive. 'I'm evil.'  
  
On a nearby roof Happosai reread the letter in his hand. "Master Happosai.  
  
Please meet me in the storage room at 5:00 today.  
I have something important to discuss with you  
  
Your pupil, Shinji Saotome"  
  
The ancient pervert was a little disappointed. The boy had been very fast to bow before him, considering how angry he had been the day before. Nonetheless it seemed pretty important, so he was here.  
  
A few bound brought him in front of the storage room where he promptly opened the door and stepped in.  
  
The next moment Shinji shot forth from her hiding place in a nearby bush, slammed the door shut, locked it and proceeded to drag a conveniently placed slab of concrete in front of it.  
  
*******************  
  
Inside  
  
Happosai stared, and stared, and stared. His eyes darted in every direction. There was lingerie everywhere.lingerie worn by old ugly crones. (3)  
  
One of them stepped forward. "Do you want to play with us little man?"  
  
Happosai did the only thing he could think of in such a horror scenario. "AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"  
  
*****************  
  
Outside  
  
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"  
  
Shinji whistled happily as she heard Happosai's tortured screams and looked at her watch. It was one minute after five.  
  
She would let him out after dinner, which should be around seven.  
  
*******************  
  
After dinner  
  
The whole household watched in wonder as Shinji came back. She had disappeared after dinner, saying she had to take care of something, only to return with the seemingly dead husk that was Happosai's body. The blue head dropped him to the floor casually and smiled. "That should teach him I think."  
  
Everyone looked from Happosai's whimpering form to the satisfied looking Shinji and swallowed. "We don't want to know."  
  
********************  
  
Ukyo Kuonji, still clad in her male garb, smiled as she looked at her new restaurant, the Ucchan's. It had been surprisingly easy to acquire and the way things were going she could probably open it sometime next week.  
  
After the crazy day she had when finally finding Ranma Saotome again had shown her one thing: The Nerimians were a very interesting, if very crazy bunch.  
  
Originally she had planned on beating Genma and Ranma within an inch of their life, but after Ranma had told her how it looked from his perspective she was content to leave him.her...whatever alone and beat up Genma a few more times instead. The one time she had already done so had been very satisfying. Now she was pondering what to do with Ranma. She didn't want to kill him anymore, but being his fiancée wasn't an option either right now. Their first meeting had been a little too crazy for that. Getting a real friend again, that was what she was really looking forward to. She just hoped she would be able to deal with all the craziness around her weird childhood friend and his seemingly even weirder brother.  
  
Of course, that didn't mean being Ranma's fiancée was totally out of the question.  
  
He was a total hunk after all.  
  
End chapter 11 part 1  
  
*********************  
  
(1) Murphy's Law; where the panda came from isn't really important  
(2) Simple: Shinji's classmate=girl, girl+ Happosai=groped girl=girl that  
is all to willing to help Shinji in his quest for revenge. Make sense?  
(3) I know its evil, but you have to cut Shinji some slack.he is under a  
lot of stress. *g*  
  
And now beware the OMAKE provided by NuStrike:  
  
Let's take a look at another possible outcome of the locker room scene with Shinji and old Happi.  
  
Shinji was perplexed to find the perverted growth that she was attempting to forcibly remove from Naomi's chest now resting on her own. One might say that it was resting comfortably there, but Shinji would forcefully deny that claim; she didn't find it comfortable in the least.  
  
Forcing the perverted thing from another dimension off her body, Shinji somehow managed to fight Happosai towards the exit of the building and into the schoolyard. Unfortunately for her, the old letch took the chance to reacquaint himself with her chest.  
  
***  
  
At the same time on an aircraft carrier in Tokyo bay, a rather large purple monster woke up and realized something important to the soul inside itself. 'Shinji's in trouble. He needs my help!'  
  
Evangelion Unit 01, what would later be described as the Devil itself by many JSSDF troops, stood up and ran towards its destination: Funrinken High School. It found itself more than a little surprised by the sight that greeted it upon arrival. 'That's Shinji! But he's a girl! .and someone's groping him. NOBODY GROPES MY CHILD!!'  
  
It is said that an angered mother is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. That's a bit of an understatement when it comes to Yui Ikari.  
  
***  
  
Happosai got off the blue haired girl's bust as he felt a massive crash behind him. Looking up, and up.and up, he was greeted with the sight of a 150 foot tall demonic purple biomecha.  
  
He spoke in a rather small voice. "Uhh.what's that?"  
  
Behind him, Shinji was also quiet in her words. "That's my.mother. I don't think she's happy with you at the moment."  
  
The aged pervert stood there in thought for a moment. While he had encountered angered mothers in the past, he had never met one this imposing.or this damned big. He just hoped that his escape technique would work on this one.  
  
"SWEETO!!"  
  
It's hard to say who watching was the most surprised to see the perverted midget leaping to grope the Eva's chest. One can only guess how angry Yui was by the fact that her eyes flashed brightly and her jaw cracked open loudly.  
  
***  
  
In the distance, Ranma's friends Hiroshi and Daisuke watched in awe at what was happening.  
  
"Hey 'roshi, you got any idea on why that big robot's scraping its chest against the school?"  
  
"No idea. Wait, now it's punching at something on the ground. Geeze.look at that crater it's making."  
  
"Ouch.and now it's slamming that old school bus into the crater too." 


	13. SS11 The Devil Itself Part 2

Chapter 11 - The Devil Itself  
  
Part 2  
  
Nodoka Saotome was walking down the street with a spring in her step. She had been reunited with her family at long last and was even pleasantly surprised by the newest addition to the Saotome family register. The fact that she could now pass on her teachings to two sons.or two daughters had something to do with that. Accepting Shinji as part of the family had come easily to her, even more so after she learned that Shinji was a very capable cook. All in all she was very happy, even if it took nearly a full day of discussion until the boys had been willing to touch a bokken to practice with the wooden sword  
  
The same couldn't be said for the girls walking behind Nodoka. In fact, Shinji and Ranma Saotome, or Rei and Ranko as their female forms were to be called in public, were the very definition of sullen at the moment. Walking around in skirts and frilly white blouses complete with lace bra and panties underneath was _not_ their idea of fun.  
  
"I still don't see why we have to do this, Mom." Ranko complained for the hundredth time that hour.  
  
"Because, my dear, as a woman it is sometimes far easier to win a battle by outsmarting your opponent instead of pounding him to paste. For that you will need to know how to use your womanly charms"  
  
Ranko and Rei cringed. That sounded disturbing. "Still, didn't you want Ranma to be manly?" Rei asked, hoping to stop their suffering.  
  
"Of course, but that was before I knew he can turn into a wonderful young lady. It wouldn't do to ignore that side of his body."  
  
The two young ladies shuddered again, both wondering how far Nodoka wanted to take this.  
  
Suddenly they bumped into her backside. They looked up to see her smiling face. "I have an idea. The two of you seem so against this idea that we will make a little deal." She pointed to the ice-cream parlor they were standing in front of." If you manage to get an ice-cream for free we will stop this. If not, you will stop complaining. All right?"  
  
Both girls grinned. This was going to be easy. "Sure!" *Woosh* The next moment they had disappeared inside.  
  
Nodoka blinked, they could be very enthusiastic when they wanted to.  
  
Several minutes later they came out again, each girl carrying a three feet high ice-cream cone in hand. They smiled brightly. "That was easy Mom/Mother" .  
  
Nodoka blinked again and walked into the parlor. There was no way they could have gotten that much! She opened the door and stared. Several patrons were out cold in their seats, drool running down their chins while their girlfriends tried valiantly to revive them. The young man behind the counter was in lalala- land as well and mumbled 'I will do anything for my angel' over and over until he toppled over.  
  
Nodoka sweat dropped 'Okay.maybe these two don't need any lessons on how to manipulate men..'  
  
Outside Shinji and Ranma contently licked their ice-cream. "That ought to have convinced her."  
  
"Yeah, what did ya tell that guy behind the counter anyway? The way he was getting red I woulda thought his head would burst!"  
  
Shinji shrugged. Living with a 'sex-fiend' like Misato, as Ritsuko had once called her, had proven very useful concerning his fantasy in such things.Misato could be very graphic once she was plastered. "Let's just say it involved him, us and a lot of whipped cream."  
  
Ranma looked horrified. "Ewwwww, that's sick!"  
  
Shinji shrugged. "True, but it worked."  
  
At that moment Nodoka came out again. "You did quite a number on those poor guys in there, girls. I suppose there isn't anything I could teach you about manipulating males. We'll just go home and train some more with the katana."  
  
The girls cheered and followed her as she walked towards the Saotome residence. While walking Shinji briefly wondered why NERV had been dumb enough to build progressive knifes instead of a kick ass katana for the EVAs, which would have had a lot more reach.  
  
*********************  
  
Ritsuko Akagi hummed happily while stuffing one of her cats into a butt ugly red dress that was designed for cats. "Aren't you cute my little one?"  
  
A closer inspection of the room showed it filled to the ceiling with crates that had inscriptions like 'cat dress - blue' or 'cat bra 2014 - trim decorated with rubies'.  
  
Ritsuko smiled, investing the funds originally planned for the building of several progressive katanas into this little collection had been worth it and she was sure nobody had noticed yet.  
  
Then she sneezed. '...okay, so maybe someone has.'  
  
**********************  
  
Kasumi slammed 'Laws of the Amazon Village of Jusenkyo, first Japanese edition' shut in disgust. She had read through the whole thing twice and still hadn't found a loophole that would allow Shampoo not to marry Ranma without losing face. Oh sure, it was possible to get Ranma away from Shampoo, but all of them would leave a bitter aftertaste in someone's life. For example, if she could find a fighter to defeat Ranma in a fight for Shampoos hand the Amazon would have to marry him instead of Ranma. The problem was to find someone who would be willing to be Shampoo's husband and whom Shampoo liked as well. Kasumi wouldn't make two people miserable just so she could have Ranma, so this had a snowballs chance in hell of working as a possible way out.  
  
Another possibility was for Ranma to beat Shampoo up without reason. That would nullify their marriage but it would also cause Ranma to be hunted and killed. Living on the run from Amazons wasn't Kasumi's idea of a perfect live and she detested violence anyway. Another chance ruled out.  
  
Every other law was equally gruesome or even more so.  
  
Looking at the worn cover of the book Kasumi sighed. There was always that one possibility, it wasn't what she wanted, but she supposed she could live with it.  
  
A glance at the clock revealed it was time to start dinner and Kasumi stretched out to get the kinks out of her back. On her way to the door Kasumi gave the book one last glare and said something very unKasumi-like. "I hate Amazon law."  
  
************************  
  
The Tendos were having dinner and the Saotomes together with their newest addition: Happosai. It had been a week since the perverted grandmaster had shown up and by now everybody had adapted to his presence best as possible. Meaning, Genma and Soun kept grovelling non-stop in his presence, Nabiki and Kasumi simply ignored him, Akane bashed him whenever he came close and Shinji and Ranma were orchestrating elaborate schemes to get rid of the pervert if they weren't training, sleeping or eating. Happosai had also established several rules for himself: Never grope Kasumi, that would be like killing god and pissing on his grave Never grope Nabiki either. He had a feeling that girl would call in a few favours and call in the military to get back at him Grope and annoy Ranma as often as possible. It was nice and always a good workout Grope and annoy Shinji as often as possible as well. It was nice, the boy could use the training and he deserved it after the stunt he had pulled with those ugly crones. Note: Don't overdo it; the boy has a sadistic streak a mile wide. Scaring the shit out of Genma and Soun was as easy as ever and still as much fun Grope Akane whenever you want, the girl needed to loosen up  
  
Admittedly Happosai's rules were a bit one sided, but what else did you expect? Not that the wrinkled pervert saw it like that, mind you. For once though, his mind wasn't occupied with various parts of the female anatomy or lingerie. Right now he was trying to find out what was going on. Over the last week he had learned that Shinji was an ideal partner for verbal sparring if properly motivated, because he wasn't as easily side- tracked as Ranma, or as ruthless as Nabiki.  
  
Then Happi remembered the day after they had met and shuddered.  
  
He had to make sure to NEVER EVER get the boy that pissed again. That stunt with the ugly old hags was downright evil! He hadn't been able to even look at any lingerie without getting nightmares for two days!  
  
But he was getting off track again. The problem was, during the times he had spoken with Shinji it had been clear the boy was hiding something. Not just him though, everybody was. And it wasn't something 'sorry-I-burned-down-your-house-like', it was more a 'you're-not-gonna-believe-this-but-aliens-are-invading-earth-and-your- whole-family-has-to-fight-them-like'. In other words, it was big and Shinji was at the center of it.  
  
Several times the past few days he had come into a room, only for all conversation to stop abruptly.it was unnerving to say the least. Whenever he was around an underlying tension was felt and he was getting sick of it. He would have tried listening in on several conversation to get the info he wanted, but Cologne had informed him in no uncertain terms that he should wait until Shinji deemed him trustworthy enough to tell him what was going on.  
  
That alone would have been reason enough to eavesdrop for all he was worth, but Cologne had also told him clearly that he would find himself back in his cave faster than he could say sorry if he did.it was a threat she could undoubtedly back up. Why she was defending the boy was beyond him though, it seemed the old crone had grown a heart in her old age.  
  
On the other end of the table Shinji contemplated the old man. After their first meeting he had been mad as hell at Happi, but as usual that hadn't lasted for long. He wasn't a person that could stay angry for any length of time. Nonetheless he had felt it necessary to carry out his revenge simply to show Happosai what he thought of his actions. Ever since then the two of them had gotten along as well as could be expected from an ancient pervert and a sex-changing teenager: They were annoying the hell out of each other To Shinji it looked like he had the upper hand right now. Happi knew something was going on and he didn't have a clue what it was, something that Shinji loved to rub that in his face. And he wasn't planning on telling the pervert anytime soon. It was bad enough everyone else already knew about what was going on. He did not need another person trying to butt in when EVA was finally found.  
  
Of course, as always with that kind of thing Shinji's attempt to keep Happi in the dark was doomed to failure. The local TV-set demonstrated that fact proudly when the news came on: "Over the last weeks high political circles have declined the existence of a special military operation repeatedly, yet a large aerial zone of over 30 miles in diameter around the only Japanese aircraft carrier 'Eden' has been declared off limits for all non-military aircrafts. Even through this restriction one of our reporters has managed to obtain the following video-clip showing the cargo that was stored on the Eden when she reached harbour near the city Koschidu twelve hours ago." The next moment the TV showed a close up of a huge purple face from which a horn was protruding. Any more features couldn't be made out. The camera rotated to the right to travel down the length of what was obviously a monstrous arm on which the letters 'UNIT-01' were displayed proudly, followed by the hand. Any more couldn't be seen because it was dark under the huge tarpaulin and the clip suddenly ended and the spokesperson was once again seen. "The only information we managed to obtain is that the cargo you have just seen is to be stored in a military facility on Hokkaido for research. Now on to the other news.."  
  
As the TV droned on about unimportant news Shinji started choking on the rice-ball she had been in the process of eating. Everyone else simply blinked a few times *squeegy-squeegy*. Save for Genma of course, he was too busy inhaling his food, and Happosai, who was totally lost now.  
  
After several seconds of listening to Shinji's choking Ranma slapped her on the back. "Thanks Ranma!"  
  
"No problem bro! I gotta say though, finding that robot of yours has been very easy!"  
  
"Yeah. And what an ugly thing it is. You weren't kidding when you said it didn't look very nice." Said a still very surprised (or is that repulsed?) Nabiki.  
  
Akane nodded. "Nabiki's right. Whose idea was it anyway to paint it purple? Like that thing isn't freaky enough without a horrible paint-job."  
  
*cough cough*  
  
All eyes turned to the diminutive pervert sitting on the table. "Normally I would respect your privacy, but whatever is going on it's obvious that ugly robot or whatever it was as well as the military are now involved. That changes things. So as the Grandmaster of Anything Goes I want to know what is going on here, now!"  
  
Shinji hid her face behind her hands and groaned. This was not the way she had wanted this to go, but his secret was almost out in the open now anyway and Happosai looked very serious about this so she might as well tell it all. Dropping her hands in front of her mouth, Shinji subconsciously assumed the Gendo pose, seated variation with death glare. If she were wearing glasses, odds are that there would have been a flash of light from them. To his credit the ancient pervert only twitched once as any outwards sign of the glare. "All right, I'll tell you what is going on, but mark my words, if you try anything out of line concerning what I tell you now, the little stunt I pulled 6 days ago will seem like heaven."  
  
Happosai noted the bead of sweat rolling down his temple and swallowed. 'For a slip of a girl that is supposedly a slip of a boy Shinji can be very scary! I have to learn how he does that!' "Very well. I promise. Now please tell me what's going on."  
  
********************  
  
Later  
  
".And after that we came here. That's about it."  
  
After Shinji finished talking Happosai nodded his head thoughtfully. "Well, seeing how that purple ugly thing on TV isn't explained away that easily I'm ready to believe you. The question is, what do you want to do now?"  
  
"Go in there, bust a few heads and get Unit 01 out, of course!" Ranma said with his usual arrogance.  
  
Happosai cocked an eyebrow at the youth. "Oh, is that so? Even if you should survive going in, how do you plan on getting a few thousand tons of steel out of there?"  
  
Nabiki, who was still there along with her sisters, shrugged. "Well, On the way out Shinji could simply pilot the thing. First he would have to get there though."  
  
"But where can we hide such a huge robot Nabiki?" Asked an obviously very interested Kasumi  
  
Nabiki rubbed her chin. "Point taken sis. Hiding something that big is impossible."  
  
"Uhm...actually getting the EVA out won't be that easy, unless we're lucky." Shinji said nervously.  
  
Ranma slapped his forehead. "Of course! When we first met you said something about the EVA being low on power! It doesn't have any, right?" (1)  
  
Shinji sighed. "Yeah. Unless the military manages to figure out how to power the EVA our chances of getting it out there are nil. We may be lucky though, when I was swallowed by the angel my power cable was stuck with me, or part of it. That means all they need is a power source to attach it to. In Tokyo 3 we had several Fusion reactors under the city to power the city, the EVAs and some other towns as well. For a single EVA one nuclear reactor would probably be enough."  
  
Akane clapped her hands. "So? Problem solved isn't it? I'm sure they can find a simple nuclear reactor to feed that ugly purple robot of yours. We'll just have to wait until they do and bust in then."  
  
Happosai regarded the girl thoughtfully. "What do you think Shinji?"  
  
"First off, there is no 'we'. I appreciate your help, but I have to go in there alone. It's too dangerous for others to come with me! Aside from that, I still need a way to go home immediately after I get the EVA."  
  
Happosai frowned. "Now listen here you little pub! You'll stop this nonsense now! We are going with you, end of discussion. We're dealing with the military here and while you can hold your own against a few bullies without problems, there is no chance in hell you would survive infiltrating a military base at your current level. Even your cocky brother has a good chance of dying in such an endeavour. We'll have to make a list of everybody who wants to come with you, but at first I have some good news for you: I might just have the thing for you to get you to your own world."  
  
Shinji looked at Happosai with puppy dog eyes, quite a feat considering she wasn't a real girl "Would you tell me what it is if I still want to go alone?"  
  
Happi gave Shinji an innocent smile. "No."  
  
The girl deflated immediately. "OK, OK. Everyone who is willing may come with me when I try to take my EVA back: But that's it! I'm going back to my world alone!"  
  
Happosai patted the girl's shoulder affectionately, something made possible by the fact that she was sitting and he stood on the table. "That's my boy.or girl.whatever." 'Not that your friends will really stop there though.' The Grandmaster then struck a righteous pose and drew out a mirror from .nowhere. "Now, behold the answer to your prayers: The legendary Nanban-mirror. All you have to do is shed a tear onto it and think of where you want to be and *whoosh* you are there."  
  
Everyone stared until Kasumi stated the obvious. "That sounds a little too easy grandfather."  
  
The wrinkled pervert deflated slightly. "Yeah it is. What I told you is how the mirror works in theory. I tried it and it worked great. It not only transports the one who shed the tear but also everyone who is in contact with him or her as well as their clothing and package. The problem is I doubt a multi megaton robot would count as package."  
  
Nabiki frowned. "That's not very reassuring. We can't just storm in there hoping the mirror will work with the EVA like it does with normal clothing."  
  
Happosai deflated even more. "I know, but that is a risk we have to take. I'm 300 years old and I haven't heard of any other way to cross dimensions yet, so this is probably our only chance. Finding something else could take years, which is a lot longer than those military apes should have the EVA. We will just have to hope for the best."  
  
Shinji opened his mouth to speak.but kept quite the last moment. It didn't really matter if he told them the EVA was made out of flesh underneath its armor because they had to decide what to do once they arrived at that point and he saw no point in telling them even more horror stories than he already had. God knows it was enough that he was plagued by nightmares about EVA, the others did not need to know.  
  
Nabiki had seen Shinji's attempt to speak only to keep quiet but didn't comment on it. She filed it away for later thought and continued on with the conversation. "Okay, let's assume this would work, what else is there to think about. We could go in there right now and be done with this business." Happosai gave Nabiki a look that said 'Are you out of your mind?' "Nabiki-chan, I would have thought you of all people had more sense than that. The most important component is still missing."  
  
Nabiki folded her arms over her chest. "And that would be?"  
  
"Training; Lots and lots of training. Before I allow anyone of you even near the facility that holds Unit 01 I want to be sure no one dies, not from us and not from the military. They are not our enemy after all, merely misguided obstacles. That reminds me. GENMA! STOP PLAYING SHOGI AND GET YOUR BUTT IN HERE!"  
  
*Woosh*  
  
"Yes, master? What may I do for you master? Can I help you master?"  
  
Happosai scoffed at the wimp he called his student, who was currently using the 'crouching tiger' pose to full effect, namely making oneself pathetic. "Get to your feet Genma." The other man stood straight the next instant. "That's better now, if I remember correctly; you have this nice technique called Umisenken."  
  
Genma nodded slowly, now a little put off why Happosai would mention his secret techniques. "Yes, I have sealed them for over ten years. You know that master."  
  
"I want you to train Ranma and Shinji in their use whenever you can!"  
  
Everyone present watched a startling transformation as Genma drew himself up to his full height, and aura of pure will surrounding him. "I have sealed these techniques for a reason master. I cannot teach them anyone else."  
  
This time Happosai drew himself up to his full height, which wasn't very impressive. "IF THE NAME OF OUR SCHOOL IS WORTH EVEN AN OUNCE TO YOU; YOU WILL TEACH THESE TWO GEANM SAOTOME! IS THAT CLEAR!" The ki enhanced booming voice he used was, though.  
  
Even more impressive was the fact that Genma wasn't reduced to a blabbering idiot. He stood as proudly as before. "Very well, if you feel the need to bring our school into this it has to be very important. I will teach them."  
  
Everyone blinked. They were doing that an awful lot today. "You mean you don't know?" Asked a bewildered Nabiki.  
  
"What?"  
  
"That Unit 01 was on the news while we were having dinner and we have somewhat of a plan to get it back?"  
  
"uhm.no?"  
  
*CRASH*  
  
After everyone picked themselves up Happosai glared at Genma. "For a student of mine you can be very dense Genma. The purple robot was on the news while we were having dinner and Shinji talked to me about it afterwards while you were still in the room. You should have noticed something!"  
  
Genma swallowed. ".sorry?..."  
  
"Just go away and play some more shogi and don't forget what I want you to do!"  
  
As Genma left the room to waste some more time Ranma grabbed Shinji in a bear hug "Do you know what that means? New techniques! And the way pops was acting very powerful ones as well! I can't wait until tomorrow. That reminds me, we have some sparring to do. Come on."  
  
While Ranma dragged her out of the room Shinji sighed heavily. 'Great, even more training .. I'm not gonna survive this, I just know it'  
  
Once the boys had left Nabiki gave Happosai a curious look. "Why did you ask him to train only those two?"  
  
Happi shrugged. "Even I know that Genma would have never accepted training anyone in these techniques, not from his own family. There is a reason he has them sealed after all. Now, what am I gonna do with the three of you?"  
  
Akane frowned, her hand already twitching for her mallet. "Don't touch me or my sisters you pervert."  
  
Happosai rolled his eyes. "You need to loosen up girl. All I want to know is, where do you stand in all of this? Do you want to go with us when we take that facility down?"  
  
Akane nodded. "Of course I want to! I'm a martial artist, too!"  
  
Nabiki and Kasumi weren't as fast in answering. "We will think about it gramps/grandfather."  
  
Happosai nodded. "That's all I can ask. I want your decision in one week. Anything later and you won't go with us. As for you Akane-chan, I will see you tomorrow at six o'clock for our first training session. Now if you will excuse me."  
  
The next moment he was gone, leaving a very perplexed Akane behind. "Who said anything about training at six o'clock?"  
  
Nabiki smirked at Akane. "You new sensei did, Akane. I would advise you to go to bed early."  
  
Akane glared at Nabiki for a moment before storming up the stairs, muttering something about know-it-all-sisters and martial-arts-perverts.  
  
That left Nabiki and Kasumi in the room.  
  
"I don't want to be left behind big sis."  
  
"Neither do I Nabiki, neither do I.but staying together with them really worth so much danger?"  
  
No one could answer that question.  
  
********************  
  
The next day  
  
Ranma and Akane were sitting in a booth; both of them were busy eating a 'triple fudge cherry-banana-chocolate sundae'.  
  
Akane hadn't taken kindly to Happosai's morning regime, or to his mid afternoon regime for that matter. So Ranma had decided it was best to get his friend out of the house until she had cooled of some.  
  
By the time Akane's sundae was halfway gone the girl had calmed down and Ranma decided it was save to speak again. "You did very good in training today, Akane."  
  
Akane grimaced. "I don't think Happosai would say the same. Why is that little gome always belittling me?"  
  
"Because it is part of Anything Goes.and a very good way for you to learn how to contain your temper during a fight."  
  
Akane wanted to say something like 'Who's got a temper', but stopped herself the last moment. She knew Ranma wasn't insulting her, only stating the facts. That made it no less frustrating to her, though. "I suppose you're right, but."  
  
".you still got a temper, yeah I know!"  
  
Akane wanted strangle him, but then she saw the smirk on his lips and realized Ranma was only teasing her and stopped short. 'Well, two can play that game' "Kasumi likes you."  
  
Akane almost laughed out loud as Ranma's smirk was wiped off his face to be replaced by shock. "Yeah, I mean it. I may have a temper, but I'm not nearly as clueless as you, Ranma"  
  
Ranma worked his mouth several times without making a sound, until he noticed that Akane didn't seem mad or sad. That shook him out of his stupor. "It doesn't bother you?"  
  
"Ranma, I'm your friend.and to be frank, I want to keep it like that."  
  
Ranma looked offended. "Hey, anything wrong with me?"  
  
"Yes, you are clueless and an idiot."  
  
"And you have a temper and no chest."  
  
Akane smiled good naturedly. "Touché! Now what are you going to do about Kasumi?"  
  
Ranma blinked. "What should I do about her?"  
  
Akane bopped him over the head. "What do you think? Take her on a date of course. The engagement between you and a Tendo is still going after all."  
  
After a little thought Ranma smiled at Akane. "You know, for a tomboy you can have pretty useful advice."  
  
Akane gave him a wry grin. "Well, you are pretty clueless for a pervert "(2)  
  
The man behind the counter rolled his eyes as the two kept flinging insults back and forth while grinning at each other like it was the best thing of their lives. 'Young people today are weird."  
  
********************  
  
The same time in some remote part of Tokyo  
  
Mousse peeked out of the garbage can he was currently hiding in carefully. No crazy idiots carrying various implements of sexual torture were in sight, so he stood up. *RIP* Mousse twitched a few times and toppled over whimpering piteously. 'I have to remember that chain in the future..'  
  
Several minutes later and old woman of about 60 came into the alley to find a naked man of about 17 with long black hair and thick glasses. She also noted the red welts running all over his body as well as the chain that was linking together his nipples and his family jewels. Being who she was it was clear to her that the young man wouldn't be able to stand up straight without crushing some very important organs for reproduction, so she quickly walked over and heaved him up. "Finally I have another toy to play with! This is going to be fun." She emphasized her statement by straightening up the still unresponsive Mousse. *RIP*  
  
Mousse decided passing out was the only option in such a situation and promptly did so.  
  
End chapter 11  
  
********************  
  
(1) Oh my God! Ranma is using his head! *gasp*  
(2) Don't look so confused, some friends are like that. They keep  
flinging insults back and forth just for the heck of it and find it fun.I  
know people like that.  
  
Author's notes: Well, that's the second part of this rather large chapter over and done with. I know, I was a little hard on Mousse this chapter.sorry, couldn't resist Don't worry, the fiancée brigade will have more than enough screen time the next chapter.and Mousse will finally meet Ranma and Shinji, nearly forgot that, *g*  
  
Guess no one would have suspected that eh? Ranma and Cologne getting along, Shinji getting ready to skin Happosai alive, what impossibility will I prove possible next chapter?  
  
One answer: read on and find out! Once again thanks to my pre-readers NuStrike and Kuracao who greatly helped me with both parts of this chapter. Extra thanks to NuStrike for the awesome omake from part 1.  
  
And now, another Omake which will hopefully open your eyes to the pains I have to endure as director of this piece. (Not pre-read!)  
  
****************  
  
OMAKE  
  
The author (me) swallows hard as a vicious knock rattles the doorframe. Me: .yes? ...  
  
The door opens and Mousse steps in frothing at the mouth.  
  
Mousse: What do you think you are doing?  
  
Me:*sweats bullets*.uhm.writing a fanfic?  
  
Mousse: I'll never be able to have kids again!  
  
Me: .sorry?  
  
Mousse:*Charges at author* DIE BASTARD!  
  
*Crack*  
  
Me:*looks at Bon-bori that has impacted Mousse's head* Wooo, that was close. Thanks Shampoo.  
  
Shampoo:*steps over Mousse's body and smiles maliciously* No problem.I wanted to gut you myself anyway.  
  
Me:*pales* I didn't do anything!  
  
Shampoo:*presses dagger against my throat* Are you sure?  
  
Me:*remembers Shampoo didn't have a scene this chapter* Uhm.very big scene involving you and Ranma next chapter?  
  
Shampoo:*suddenly all smiles* I knew you would see it my way. Have fun! *leaves*  
  
Me: huh?  
  
*ROOOOAAAR*  
  
Me:*looks up and sees purple fist descending* ouch..  
  
*Smash*  
  
EVA-01:*red goo that was once the author running out from under its fist* ROAAR ROAR ROOOAAAR ROAR ROAAR (translation: I told him I wouldn't take to kindly to being stuck in the ocean floor)  
  
Somewhere else  
  
Ranma and Shinji are standing in front of a computer terminal pressing buttons. The circular room around them is shrouded in darkness but dark shapes seem to be floating in the shadows.  
  
Ranma presses the last button and the lights turn on. "I swear this starts to annoy me."  
  
Shinji nodded as he watched the walls, now revealed to be made of glass so you could watch the circular tank that was running around the room, it was filled with unmoving human shells. "This room creeps me out as well. Why is he always taking so long?"  
  
"Well, sorry to be an inconvenience for the two of you!"  
  
The boys turn around to find the naked author standing behind them, dripping orange goo on the floor and looking rather pissed. Ranma cocked an eyebrow. "So, what happened this time? Akane trying to cook or did Shampoo gut you for leering again?"  
  
The author sighed. "Nah. Unit 01 crushed me under her fist because I lied about her being on the ocean floor. "  
  
Shinji shrugged as he handed the author some spare clothes. "Well, you could always try to be a little nicer to your actors."  
  
"And risk my masterpiece by letting myself be guided by their whims? Never!" A short maniac laugh followed that made Ranma and Shinji shudder. "Anyway, I'll be going now, I have work to do and a new computer to buy.why they always have to ruin the equipment while killing me."  
  
As the author vanished Ranma and Shinji looked around the room.  
  
Several hundred copies of the author looked back at them while floating in the orange goo, also called LCL.  
  
After a while Ranma spoke again. "What number was that?"  
  
"56"  
  
Ranma shrugged. "Well, looks like he was right, this authorquarium was a good idea after all."  
  
******************  
  
Well, that was that. Do you have the slightest idea how expensive cloning is? Or how annoying it is to die every second day? 


	14. SS12 Dating Game Part 1

Okay, guys, everyone who isn't CEVGAR doesn't have to read on and may skip straight to the start of this chapter .  
  
Cevgar, your review has contained a lot of useful critique...which came far too late in some ways. I'm afraid changing the story from its intended course now is pretty much impossible...I planned it out too much for that. You have said there are style problems though, and if you don't mind I would like to have your input before releasing future chapters. To that end it would be nice if you please give me your e-mail address.  
  
Chapter 12 – Dating Game - Part 1  
  
****************  
  
Ranma adjusted his fly for what must have been the tenth time since leaving the restaurant behind. The reason was pretty simple: he was nervous as hell. Ever since he had spoken with Akane about getting a date with Kasumi two months ago he had been on four dates with the eldest Tendo sister. The same could be said for Shampoo, who had insisted she didn't want to be left out. Ranma, being Ranma, had of course agreed. His latest date with Shampoo was nearing its end now and he was nervous.  
  
Why?  
  
He had had seven dates over the last 3 months and every single one had turned out ok without any interruptions. Looking back on his life, something like that simply didn't add up. Something had to happen tonight, and it had to be pretty damn big to make up for the relative calm of the past months.  
  
Of course, the shapely body that was currently clinging to his side, only hidden by a sheer blue evening dress helped to increase his nervousness tenfold. Knowing what Shampoo would want at the end of their date wasn't helping very much either.  
  
Ranma almost found himself wishing for the interruption he was dreading...almost.  
  
****************  
  
Across the street, said interruption was currently trying to struggle free of her current prison to save her Ranma-sama from the purple haired Amazon. She would have screamed in indignation, but the hand clamped over her mouth made that impossible.  
  
Sitting behind Kodachi Kuno, who was currently wrapped up in several meters of sturdy rope, Shinji Saotome shook her head sadly. "Really Kodachi, You've tried this 7 times already and it didn't work once. Don't you think it's time to give up?"  
  
Seeing the couple down on the street had moved out of earshot, Shinji removed her hand from Kodachi's mouth so she could answer. "Release me this instant, you little peasant! I will no longer tolerate your manhandling of my person!"  
  
"I'll release you, but only if you don't go after Ranma."  
  
"I shall not give into your petty demands! I must free my Ranma-sama from these harlots and return him to his proper place at my side!"  
  
Shinji gave a resigned sigh and fastened the end of the rope around the trunk of the tree they were standing on. "All right, I give up. You really can't reason with loonies. Have a good night Kodachi!" Then she jumped down to the sidewalk to walk home.  
  
Kodachi blinked. Normally Shinji just let her go after Ranma was out of sight. This turn of events was rather disconcerting for the girl. Then she found her (overbearing) voice again. "How dare you imprison the Black Rose to this ordinary tree? Free me this instant!" Shinji whirled around and glared (Gendotm) at Kodachi. "I'm letting you down there once you come to your senses, girl! I'm getting sick of making sure you don't ruin my brother's life!"  
  
After taking a little while to recover from Shinji's glare, Kodachi 'hmphd'. "You are merely jealous that I have a prime example of a man while you don't, you lowly peasant!"  
  
Shinji simply rubbed her temples.  
  
Kodachi would be hanging on that tree a very long time. (1)  
  
*****************  
  
Back to Ranma  
  
Shampoo and Ranma had finally reached the Cat-café, where they would part company for the night.  
  
Shampoo, who was still leaning against Ranma, noted his stiff posture and sighed. "Why are you always so tense airen? I'm not going to bite."  
  
Ranma fingered his fly again. "Sorry...but I'm just not used to this stuff."  
  
Shampoo shifted her position to stand in front of Ranma and gave him a smouldering look. "You should use something else to apologize to me, airen."  
  
Ranma swallowed. The look she gave him and the way she said it left no doubt in his mind as to what she wanted. Taking whatever he had left on courage he bent down to kiss her.  
  
Once their lips touched, Shampoo snaked one hand behind Ranma's head, pressing their lips together forcefully. Meanwhile her other hand slipped down and squeezed his behind. As Ranma finally opened his mouth to allow her probing tongue entrance Shampoo smiled as best as she could while tonguing the young Saotome to death. 'This is more like it!'  
  
On the other end of the lip lock Ranma couldn't decide between deepening the kiss, panicking like a chicken with its head cut of or simply melting under Shampoo's sensual attack. Seeing how his mind couldn't decide his hands took matters into their own hands and snaked around Shampoo's waist, pressing them together even more.  
  
They held the kiss like this nearly two minutes until Ranma finally got back to his senses and withdrew. "Ah, I think we should stop now Shampoo."  
  
Shampoo pouted cutely but did as Ranma said nonetheless. "Good night, airen."  
  
As Shampoo walked up to the door and vanished inside Ranma grinned like an idiot. The only kisses he had shared had been short little pecks, therefore he was a little overwhelmed by what had just happened. "...WOW..."  
  
Several moments later Shinji came along and walked up to Ranma. Her brother didn't acknowledge her presence, so she waved a hand in front of his eyes. No reaction, the silly grin remained in place. Shinji blinked. "Wow, looks like Shampoo did quite a number on you tonight."  
  
Then she hoisted her brother onto her shoulder and walked home.  
  
*****************  
  
Inside Shampoo was preparing to take a _very_ cold shower. That last kiss with Ranma had been a little too involved...  
  
*****************  
  
Shinji calmed her breath as she stared into the flames, the chestnuts crackling within. She had been stuck female for nearly 3 months. Training her body to become faster, stronger and more durable had been nearly the only thing she had done during that time and now it was time to see if she was fast enough. "I can do this...Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Her hands blurred out of sight for a moment, only to stop suddenly. Shinji opened her fists to look at the chestnuts within, a smile slowly spreading over her lips. "I did it...I DID IT!"  
  
Of course, the chestnuts were still very hot, a fact that finally penetrated her mind.  
  
"HOT; HOT; HOT!"  
  
Standing next to her window and watching as Shinji danced all over the lawn while blowing her hands, but still with a silly grin on her face, Nabiki couldn't help but smile as well. 'He's finally done...Maybe now I can find out what it is like to kiss him.'  
  
*******************  
  
Shinji walked into the Cat-Café with a spring in her step, only to be stopped cold by a hundred percent Amazon-proof double glomp. "Hello Shinji!" came the customary greeting from Pepper and Spice in stereo.  
  
"Hey girls, nice to see you."  
  
Both girls disengaged and frowned a little. "You haven't visited very often lately."  
  
Shinji, normally easily ridden by guilt, smiled brightly. "True, but I used my time to train and I think I had a major breakthrough."  
  
At that point Shampoo came up and ruffled Shinji's hair. "So, the shrimp has finally mastered Kachu Tenchin Ameriguken?"  
  
Shinji gave Shampoo a mock glare. Nearly a month ago she had stumbled over the word 'shrimp' while Shinji had tried teaching her some more Japanese and had promptly made it into a new nickname. Ever since then Shinji had tried valiantly to get her to stop it, but had more or less gotten used to it. "I'm not a shrimp Shampoo and no, I haven't mastered the technique, but I need another demonstration from granny to complete my training."  
  
No one questioned her and Pepper quickly dragged her into the kitchen, where Cologne, now called granny by Ranma and Shinji, was working.  
  
"Shinji-kun! What a pleasant surprise. What does this old woman owe your visit to?"  
  
Shinji bowed to her. "I'm sorry for not visiting more often, but the condition you have inflicted me with is more pressing than pleasant conversation. In that regard I humbly ask you to once again give me a demonstration. I feel that is all I will need to complete my training."  
  
Cologne chuckled softly. In truth Shinji had visited pretty often considering her brutal training regime, but she just loved verbal sparring and since Shinji was the only person in Nerima who actually caught on to most of her veiled meanings while taking them in stride (unlike a certain Tendo daughter) she always engaged in a little banter when Shinji came by. Of course, if Shinji needed another demonstration to complete her training that took precedence. "Very well, Shinji. I shall demonstrate the technique again. If you would please follow me? Pepper, take over the kitchen for a moment."  
  
Minutes later Cologne was sitting before a small fire with Shinji kneeling next to her. "Watch closely Shinji!"  
  
Shinji didn't say anything and focused.  
  
Cologne didn't notice his attention was not on the fire and struck out.  
  
Time crawled to a stop as Cologne's hand moved towards the fire.  
  
Shinji's whole focus came upon the Phoenix pill dangling from Cologne's necklace.  
  
With Cologne's first hand halfway to the fire and the other a short way behind it Shinji made his move.  
  
His right hand shot out at a speed nearly matching Cologne's, who was obviously not using her full power for the Chestnut Fist. When his hand was only an inch from the pill Cologne finally noticed his sneak attack. After it had closed around the pill she had finally overcome her shock.  
  
Cologne did not try to stop her as Shinji ripped the pill from her person. Instead she regarded the blue head with respect. "You continue to surprise me child. I would not have thought you capable of such underhanded tricks."  
  
Shinji grinned. "That just makes them all the more surprising, wouldn't you agree?"  
  
Cologne cackled. "You are right on that account child. Nonetheless I would have liked to fight you for real, now that you have mastered the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken."  
  
Shinji raised an eyebrow. "Forgive my rude behaviour elder, but are you nuts?! Ranma has mastered the technique before me and is nearly 50 percent faster then I am while using it and even he couldn't defeat you. I would have to be brain dead to even think about challenging you directly for the pill."  
  
"I see your rapid improvement in skill and power hasn't gotten to your head; Keep it that way. Son-in-law's arrogance should not be taken as a role model. Now let's see about lifting the 'Full body cat's tongue'."  
  
Shinji blinked. "What do you mean? I only have to swallow the pill, right?"  
  
Cologne chuckled. "It isn't that easy child. The Phoenix pill Ranma ate was unique, what you hold in your hands is merely a fake. I will rid you of the little problem the same way I gave it to you: pressure points."  
  
Shinji stood still as Cologne started pressing a complex pattern of pressure points all over her body. Once she was done she whipped out a kettle from...somewhere and dosed Shinji.  
  
Shinji blinked and patted himself on several places just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He was male again! Not being able to contain his joy he hugged Cologne tightly. "YES! No more 'that time of the month' for me! THANKS GRANNY!"(2)  
  
After getting carried all over the yard for two minutes Cologne extricated herself from his grip, causing Shinji to come to his senses. "I understand you are happy child, but I would still like to see how far along you have come these past months."  
  
Shinji started sweating. He wasn't in the mood for a beating right now "Whatever do you mean elder?"  
  
Cologne's eyes twinkled with mischief. "DEFEND YOURSELF!"  
  
And the fight began...  
  
Nearly 20 minutes later a blue and purple lump of flesh was moaning on the ground. "What did I do...to deserve...this...granny" It ground out slowly.  
  
Cologne smiled apologetically. "This was not intended as punishment, but as a test child...I'm happy to say you passed it. You have another two weeks before we will take a little trip along with Ranma, Ryuoga and Shampoo. It's time you learned another technique." Seemingly finished with what she wanted to say Cologne hobbled back to the house. "You may rest for the time being. I imagine you're hurting all over right now."  
  
Shinji would have glared at Cologne, but he was unable to lift his head. Instead he sighed. 'Great, even more training. At least now I'm a man again...I swear I'll never ever again make fun of a girl during 'that time of the month' he wriggled his toes a little 'Now if I could only get the feeling back into my legs so I can walk home...'  
  
*******************  
  
The next day  
  
The bell on the front door rang, signalling a new costumer to the restaurant, and Shampoo quickly turned around to greet their guest.  
  
She was greeted by the sight of a half naked man with long black hair that was a total mess and obviously cut short accidentally on the right side. For a moment Shampoo could only goggle at him, then she saw the glasses dangling from his right ear and she finally recognized the massive bruise that had just walked in. "Mousse? Is that you?  
  
"...my love..."  
  
Shampoo would have decked the poor guy for whispering that, but he took care of that himself and passed out, lying halfway on the street and halfway in the restaurant.  
  
Shampoo grumbled something about love struck idiots and dragged the boy through the restaurant up into one of the rooms. Once she had deposited him somewhere, and it wasn't the bed, she came down and walked into the kitchen.  
  
Cologne raised and eyebrow at her great-granddaughter. "What are you doing in here child; you should serve our customers you know!"  
  
Shampoo ignored her scolding and started talking. "It is Mousse, elder. He has followed us all the way here."  
  
Cologne's eyes flared for a moment. "I knew the foolish boy would pull something like that. Where is he right now?"  
  
Shampoo pointed upwards. "He is unconscious in my room."  
  
Cologne hopped from the kitchen at once. "Close the restaurant for today Shampoo, I may be unavailable for a while. When Pepper and Spice get back tell them to take the day off."  
  
Shampoo smiled. That meant she would get to spend more time with Ranma!  
  
*******************  
  
Mousse dragged himself back to awareness and realized instantly that no part of his body was bound in any type or form. 'It was not a dream...my love has truly saved me! Oh Shampoo How I...'  
  
"Nice to see you are awake."  
  
The dry and ancient voice of Cologne charred him back to reality before he could lose himself in a pleasant fantasy. He propped up his upper body and realized he was lying on the floor. A small part of him noted it was exactly what he should have expected and he ignored it as usual. Instead he gave the diminutive figure before him a flat look. "Not nice to see you at all."  
  
*Clonk*  
  
"Don't speak like that to your elder, boy." said Cologne, her voice now hard as steel. "Now tell me, why are you here?"  
  
Mousse snorted, not even slightly impressed. After the last three months there wasn't much Cologne could do to scare him. "What do you think? Making sure Shampoo isn't married to some outsider, of course."  
  
Cologne nodded slightly. "I thought as much and I expect you to leave for China the instant you are strong enough again. I forbid you from taking any kind of action against Shampoo's intended husband or anyone involved with him. This is not your place Mousse, so leave it."  
  
Mousse raised an eyebrow. "And what will you do should I stay and interfere?"  
  
Cologne gave him another steely look. "Let's just say you will not be able to love Shampoo ever again if you choose to ignore my orders."  
  
Mousse stayed silent for a moment, desperately trying to hold it in, but it was no use and his laugher echoed off the walls. "You can take everything from me" He said between guffaws, "but there is no force in heaven or hell that will allow you to rob me of my love for Shampoo."  
  
Cologne didn't say anything else and left the room with a heavy heart. She had known from the beginning that talking with him would yield nothing, yet she had to try. The punishment she had in store for him was truly severe, but she felt it was justified. This wasn't just about marrying off her great grand daughter to a strong outsider anymore. This was about showing what Amazons were made of by contributing to the saving of a whole earth...it may not have been their own earth, but to Cologne that was irrelevant: A glorious battle was a glorious battle, no matter for what. A battle needed preparation though, and she would be damned to let some love blind fool interfere with that preparation.  
  
***********************  
  
Shinji swallowed nervously as he circled around Pepper wary for any kind of attack.  
  
His two Amazonian fiancées had come over because Cologne had given them the rest of the day off. Seeing how they had so much time on their hands the girls had asked him to spar with them to see how much better he had gotten since they had fought each other the last time.  
  
Needless to say he had disagreed and tried to weasel out by saying he had some training to do. Unfortunately all his teachers, namely Ranma, Ryouga and Genma had heartily agreed with the twins. Supposedly they wanted him to spar with someone on his level so he could see how much he had improved. To that end they had even agreed that no special techniques were to be used. Shinji could only laugh at the idea. 'Someone on my level? Yeah right...Spice and Pepper are going kick my ass, just like everyone else.'  
  
While Shinji lamented his fate the audience was growing impatient and Genma tried to spurn him on. "Come on boy, I haven't taught you how to walk in circles the last three months. Start fighting!"  
  
Shinji grimaced, but complied nonetheless. The sooner this was over with the better. In the blink of an eye he shifted his guarded stance to a more aggressive one and shot towards Pepper with lighting speed, a punch aimed for her head.  
  
As he had expected the girl sidestepped his punch and he whirled around to deliver a back fist that was blocked. Jumping over a leg sweep he caught himself on his hands and pushed himself upwards to land on his feet again, only to block several quick jabs from his opponent. He noted that his forearms were smarting from only a few blows and started dodging instead.  
  
Watching from the sidelines as Pepper and Shinji battled back and forth Ryouga couldn't help but smile. It was obvious Pepper was fighting all out and yet she couldn't gain the upper hand. It was clear that Pepper was still more skilled than Shinji, but the cleft was smaller than it had been. Nonetheless he knew the only thing keeping Shinji in the fight was his superior speed since both fighters were nearly equal in strength now.  
  
Still, it was slightly disturbing. Shinji was learning as fast as him or even faster, a fact that could be attributed to Genma's teaching, which could be extremely effective if someone else, like Ranma or himself, helped out from time to time. Shinji's rapid increase in speed and strength wasn't explained away that easily though. Ryouga knew that it should not have been possible for a human to improve _that_ fast. Not the he was ever going to tell that Shinji. He would probably think himself a freak and start panicking.  
  
The no-longer-lost boy would have been surprised to learn that Ranma and Genma were thinking along the same lines while watching the fight.  
  
Sitting with Shinji's teachers, Spice wasn't thinking anywhere along those lines. She was too occupied with eyeing her intended future husband hungrily. He had gotten a lot more muscle on his frame over the last months. He was also a lot more skilled than when they first met. Even though she had seen him spar with Ranma or Ryouga occasionally it was still surprising that he could hold his own against Pepper now. What was more important was the smile that was slowly forming on Shinji's face as he fought with her sister. It was good that he liked fighting them. That meant she could look forward to more sparring in the future with additional more relaxing...activities afterwards. Noticing where her train of thought was leading she cleared her head to focus on the fight again.  
  
It looked like Pepper was finally getting the upper hand. After fighting for this long Shinji had used up his bag of tricks and Pepper was scoring more and more hits. The next moment Shinji hit the floor thanks to a throw and before the boy could get up a foot was hovering inches over his face.  
  
The girl, to whom said foot belonged to, grinned widely. "Do you yield Shinji?"  
  
Shinji chuckled. "Yeah, I do."  
  
"HOW could you boy! Losing to a ...UGH!"  
  
As you have probably guessed Genma had not been happy that one of his pupils had lost to a girl and Ranma and Ryouga had been kind enough to stop his rant...with a fist to his head.  
  
Spice ignored them, nodded and helped Shinji back to his feet. "You have improved a lot. We have to do this again sometime soon. And now I think my sister should get her turn."  
  
Shinji blinked. "Now, wait a moment there...there's no way I can fight her now! I'm already tired!"  
  
Ranma and Ryouga waved his concern off. "Nonsense, we're working you harder when training and you would be good for another hour even then."  
  
Pepper jumped up and down like a little school girl. "Yes! Now I get to kick your butt and afterwards we can kiss and make it all better."  
  
All present males sweat-dropped at the display but chose to stay silent.  
  
Shinji simply hung his head in defeat and prepared himself to get his ass handed to him. Then he smiled lightly. 'At least I'll get a kiss out of it.'  
  
***********************  
  
Kaori Daikoku was very pleased as she regarded herself in the full length mirror standing in her apartment. Only clad in a barely-there lace bra and barely-there lace panties she was the dream of many adolescent boys. Kaori gave her mirror image a sultry smile causing her 'sexy factor' to climb another 50 points. "Tomorrow you'll be mine, Shinji-kun!"  
  
After a moment Kaori pouted. "Who am I kidding? The chances of it happening tomorrow are almost zero." The next moment her smile returned again. "But it's still worth a try!"  
  
Yet, despite her words Kaori wasn't too optimistic about the outcome of her plan. In the time she had known her fiancé, Shinji had been very reluctant to make advances, which was a great source of frustration for Kaori. After the great revelation of Shinji's origins over 2 months ago they had spent time together regularly, but only to talk. It had been very frustrating for Kaori, knowing she had a fiancée but not being able to do anything more than kissing. Neither she nor Shinji would have been comfortable with that while Shinji was in female form. Sometimes Kaori had wanted nothing more than to bash Cologne's head in for trapping Shinji in that form.  
  
All that had changed a week ago, after Shinji had finally mastered the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken and managed to get the 'full body cat's tongue' lifted...or at least that was what she had hoped. Unfortunately, it had turned out her fiancé was very reluctant to take the next step in their relationship. It was a very pleasant, but very frustrating surprise that Shinji was one of two males on the planet who wouldn't try to get into their perfectly willing fiancée's pants, the other being Ranma. It was clear that Shinji did not want to commit himself to any of his suitors by getting more...involved There was just one problem: Kaori herself was a healthy girl of 17 and had certain...urges. Shinji, being her fiancé, was the logical way to quell those urges, even if he would marry someone else in the end. Of course, that didn't mean Kaori only wanted physical gratification. Fact was, after almost three months in his presence Kaori was pretty sure that she did indeed love him, even if he was three years younger. And so Kaori had decided to take matters into her own hands and had arranged a date with him the next day. While she knew that sex before marriage as well as asking a man out on a date was still frowned upon, even in modern Japan, she didn't much care about that. What was money good for if not for doing what you want?  
  
All that didn't matter though, the important thing was that Shinji wouldn't know what hit him.  
  
**********************  
  
Soun Tendo smiled contently as the last pupil left the dojo, briefly wanting to kick himself for having stopped teaching after his wife died. Now several months after reopening the dojo with his old friend Genma he couldn't imagine stopping teaching anytime soon. The dojo was packed, their finances, something he hadn't cared to look at over ten years, were now looking up even without Nabiki bringing money in from various sources and he was feeling nearly ten years younger thanks to teaching and sparring with Akane, Ryuoga, Ranma and Shinji.  
  
Looking over to his old friend Sound couldn't help but smile some more. Gone was half of Genma's overweight, once again revealing the battle hardened muscles underneath. It seemed between training his sons, adopted and by flesh, in the secret techniques of his school, teaching students and various sparring matches, the part time Panda didn't have time to indulge his excessive eating and drinking habits. Soun wasn't sure, but somehow, over the last months both of them had become better man...in a way it was humbling to see how low they had sunken over the years.  
  
Soun shook his head. That was then and this was now. There was nothing he could do about it. "Another invigorating day comes to an end, eh Saotome?"  
  
Genma nodded. "That it does, my friend. How far along are your daughters in their training?"  
  
"Their progress is good. It seems some of the training from their youth has lasted over the years. It won't be long before we can start to let them spar. I just hope the master isn't too hard on my baby girl!"  
  
Genma chuckled. "Akane isn't a baby, you know that Soun. Besides, he is merely trying to get her temper under control...knowing his training methods, he's probably only groping her till she blows up."  
  
Soun nodded dubiously. "Still, they have been gone for two weeks..."  
  
Genma shrugged. "No help worrying about it. How about a round of shogi, Tendo? We haven't played in a long time"  
  
Soun nodded, his daughter forgotten for the moment.  
  
******************  
  
Somewhere else  
  
Akane listened to the water rushing by in the near by river. When Happosai had taken her on this training trip she had already been resigned to a week of being groped in the name of the Art. She had thought that was bad...now she knew better.  
  
Happosai had groped her, all right, and once she had gone berserk he beat her down soundly to give her a lecture about controlling her temper. It was a brutal, but also very effective method, seeing how she hadn't lost her temper for four days now. Now she also understood why Happosai had wanted to go on a trip...her father would have thrown a fit had he seen how she was treated. Nonetheless, Happosai may have been a pervert, but he was also a great teacher.  
  
"What are you lying around for girl? We have another two weeks of training to do and I won't have you lying around on your lazy ass during that time."  
  
As Akane dragged her abused body to a sitting position she revised her previous opinion slightly. Happosai was slave driver as well.  
  
End Part 1  
  
*******************  
  
(1) Goes to show one thing: Don't mess with Ranma; Shinji does not like  
that at all.  
(2) Don't look so shocked, he's been female for two months...it's natural  
that would  
happen.  
  
Pre-reading was done by kuracao and NuStrike. Thanks guys! 


	15. SS12 Dating Game Part 2

Chapter 12 – Dating Game – Part 2  
  
The next evening  
  
Shinji looked himself over in the mirror, trying to reconcile the image he saw with his usual appearance. He was clad in black tight fitting trousers and a black button down shirt that was decorated with a green dragon coiling over front and back. Black leather shoes completed the outfit. Shinji wasn't one to compliment himself, but he had to admit he looked pretty good. 'Asuka would have a heart attack if she saw me like this...or if she knew I had a date with a girl three years older then me, for that matter.'`  
  
Still chuckling about that thought he walked downstairs, it wouldn't do to be late for his first date with Kaori.  
  
As Shinji came into the living room Nabiki looked up from reading a manga and got glassy eyes. 'Damn...he looks good!'  
  
Shinji, oblivious to her look, turned around once and asked her what she thought.  
  
Nabiki repressed the bout of jealously she felt, knowing it would be Kaori with whom he would leave shortly, and smiled brightly. "You look great Shinji-kun! Get her tiger!"  
  
Shinji gave her a smile in return, yet his was just as false as hers. They had almost kissed the day the family found him out and ever since then they had only interacted on a purely platonic basis. Somehow, even with the three beautiful girls vying for his heart that disappointed him. He shook his head. 'Get a grip on yourself; you're starting to sound like Kuno!'  
  
Not wanting to risk saying something stupid before his date even began Shinji quickly left the house to wait at the front door. After asking him out Kaori had made it perfectly clear that she would organize this evening, which also meant that she would 'give him a ride' as she had put it.  
  
A few minutes later said ride arrived and Shinji's eyes bugged out as the white stretch limo that had first brought Kaori into his life held directly in front of him. When his date stepped out of the overlong car Shinji swallowed. Kaori was clad in a simple black evening dress, which had a slit all the way up to her hip on the left side and showed a healthy amount of cleavage. Simple dark blue earrings and a touch of make up completed what was a breathtaking sight.  
  
"Earth to Shinji!"  
  
Kaori's voice brought him out of his stupor and he blushed. "Ah...sorry about that, I was just overwhelmed...you look very good."  
  
Kaori smiled. "You're not too shabby yourself Shinji, but we should get going."  
  
Shinji nodded and Kaori climbed back into the car, shortly followed by the younger boy.  
  
**********************  
  
An hour later Shinji found himself seated in Tokyo's finest restaurant.  
  
Even with Kaori at his side he was feeling decidedly out of place and the glances all the rich people walking by were giving them weren't helping matters any. The waiter wasn't much better and Shinji could easily feel his contempt through the false smile he was wearing when serving them.  
  
At least the food was good.  
  
Kaori watched as Shinji picked on his fish and frowned slightly. This was supposed to be fun, but it was obvious something was bothering him. During the drive here Shinji had held a lively conversation with her, but since arriving here he had been silent. "Shinji, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, why do you ask?"  
  
Kaori rolled her eyes. "Oh, just the fact that you didn't say a single words for the last 30 minutes."  
  
Shinji winced slightly. "I...sorry about that, it's just that" he gestured all around him, "I feel out of place here, unwelcome...sorry, I know you worked hard to make this as nice as possible."  
  
Kaori sighed. "Sometimes I find it hard to imagine you apologized even more back then before I have known you, Shinji-kun. There is no reason to be sorry. It's not your fault you don't like the atmosphere here. If anything I should have known that you wouldn't like it here. So, where would you like to go instead?"  
  
Shinji caught the subtle look Kaori gave the admittedly stiffly dancing couples on the dance floor and the slightly dejected look she adopted for but a moment and put two and two together. "I would like to dance with you Kaori, but I think a less formal place would be a lot more fun."  
  
Immediately Kaori's face lit up. "Really? Great, I'll just pay the bill and then we can go."  
  
Another five minutes later they left the restaurant, Kaori several thousand yen poorer. After a short walk they arrived in front of a cosy restaurant called the "Dancerico" that was drawing customers with the admittedly strange catch phrase 'eat and dance until you puke'.  
  
Upon entering it became clear very fast that puking was _not_ part of the daily proceedings here as the restaurant/bar smelled very clean. It was divided into a dancing area on the first floor that was framed by a bar on one side and a place to eat on the second. Some kind of love song from the eighties- more than just an oldie where Shinji came from – was flowing from the speakers with tolerable volume. It was also pretty clear that the music required real dancing, something that suited Shinji just fine. He had been forced to learn dancing by his teacher and then again during his synchronisation with Asuka.  
  
Shinji smiled brightly and bowed to Kaori while gesturing to the dance floor. "May I ask for this dance, miss?"  
  
Kaori played along and smiled coyly. "I would love to dance with you, mister. Maybe I can invite you to a drink or two afterwards?"  
  
Shinji looked doubtful for a moment, alcohol was not very high on his list of things to consume and while Kaori was still underage he did not doubt that she would get some, seeing how she looked very mature right now. Then he shrugged it of, they were here to enjoy themselves after all. "All in good time, madam; first we will dance."  
  
Minutes later the young couple was already lost in the music, just two normal people in a sea of many.  
  
*********************  
  
It was nearing midnight when Shinji and Kaori walked home. They had decided to walk the rest of the way after having seen how nice of a night it was. Surprisingly it had been Shinji to make the proposal and Kaori was starting to wonder if it was possible that a man was more romantic than a woman...Shinji's ideas for the evening had worked out a lot better then hers after all, even if Shinji had gotten splashed on the dance floor once. Fortunately his gender-change hadn't been noticed and they had been able to turn him back soon after that little mishap.  
  
Normally she would have used the opportunity to lay her head on Shinji's shoulder, but that would have been very awkward because the boy was over half a head shorter than her. Instead she had hooked her arm around his and was walking as near to him as possible.  
  
Shinji, for his part, was holding up very good. After nearly 3 hours of dancing with a lot of bodily contact the boy had finally gotten used to her constant presence. That made it possible for him to break their comfortable silence without stammering. "I had a lot of fun tonight."  
  
"I had fun as well, Shinji-kun. As far as first dates go I would even say it was the best you can get. We should do it again sometime soon."  
  
No answer was forthcoming for a while until Shinji spoke with an uncertain voice. "I don't know if that's such a good idea."  
  
"What do you mean? I thought you had fun?"  
  
Shinji sighed. "It's not that I wouldn't mind doing it again, I just think it's wrong...I hadn't realized it up until tonight, but you're very wealthy, are you not?"  
  
Kaori nodded hesitantly, not knowing where this was going. "Are you bothered by that?"  
  
Shinji chuckled good-naturedly. "Don't be ridiculous. Whoever would complain about something like that? No, I'm just thinking that you would have to leave all that behind if you are going with me to my world. It's not right that you would have to give all that to be my fiancée...so I was thinking maybe we should cancel the engagement, I wouldn't want you to be miserable just because of that."  
  
The next moment Shinji found himself yanked backwards and suddenly he was standing in front of Kaori, who had stopped walking. The girl was glaring at him. "Don't you even think about calling off our engagement for something silly like that!" her eyes softened and her voice got thick with emotion, "I would never choose wealth over being with you; I love you too much for that!"  
  
Shinji could only stare at the beautiful woman before him. 'She...loves me?' he thought while trying to get his mouth working again.  
  
Yet, before he could answer in any way Kaori pressed her lips to his and all thought fled his brain as Kaori tried to drown him in passion.  
  
Nearly two minutes later Kaori released him and Shinji scraped together the last of his resolve lest something else happened. He knew what he was about to say was unfair, but it was also the truth. "I...thank you Kaori... that means a lot to me, more than you can imagine...but...I"  
  
"You don't love me, do you?" Tears were shimmering in her eyes causing him nearly to panic.  
  
"NO! I ...I just don't know...I know I like you a lot Kaori, but I don't know if this is really love, or if I love the others more. I Would like nothing more to tell you the same thing you just told me, but I don't want to betray you by saying something I'm not hundred percent sure of." He gave her a pleading look. "Just give me a little time to work it out, all right?"  
  
Kaori gave him a smile, but inside it still hurt to know he couldn't share her feelings...yet. "If that is all you are willing to give me at the moment, I'll be happy with it...just don't take too long with sorting out your feelings Shinji- kun."  
  
"I'll try. Now let's continue walking, all right?"  
  
Kaori simply nodded and fell into pace beside him. It was obvious that she was hurt by what he had said, but it was a necessary evil. Shinji could admit to himself that he had never felt this strong about anyone, save for Nabiki maybe, but there were other things to take into account: Saying he loved Kaori would mean the end for any relationship with Pepper and Spice as well as the strange one he had with Nabiki. It would hurt them all, and that could only happen if he knew without a doubt the girl he would choose was truly the love of his life.  
  
Before Shinji could ponder the dilemma any further they had arrived in front of Kaori's house. Deciding to end the evening on a positive note Shinji stood on his toes and kissed Kaori before the girl could react. Once they separated Shinji hugged her again and stepped away. "Good night Kaori."  
  
"Good night Shinji" For a moment it looked like she wanted to say something else, but then the girl turned and walked to the front door.  
  
As he watched her vanishing inside Shinji wondered when his life had gotten so complicated.  
  
********************  
  
Standing behind the curtains Kaori let out a depressed sigh as Shinji walked away. 'So much for seducing him...coward.'  
  
Before she had gone inside she had debated whether to try or not, but somehow she had felt it inappropriate tonight. Their date had been too eye opening for that.  
  
Shrugging at the wasted chance Kaori dropped her garments to the floor and proceeded to the shower butt naked...living alone in a house was lonely, but it had its advantages.  
  
**********************  
  
A few days later  
  
Ranma walked home from the market with a smile on his face. Said smile stemmed from two things: first off he liked helping out Kasumi and secondly she had promised him they would do something special on their date tonight.  
  
A shout of "SAOTOME, PREPARE TO DIE!" followed by an assortment of sharp objects thrown his way was enough to dampen his mood slightly.  
  
With a deft jump he cleared the weapons and landed safely on a nearby roof where he set down his groceries. He turned around to find his attacker in the form of a young man with long black and bottle thick glasses, clueing him in to the fact that it could only be the Amazon male Shampoo had told him about a few days back.  
  
Plastering his cocky trademark grin onto his face he started his fight like he did whenever someone attacked him out of the blue... "God, you really are as blind as a bat, otherwise you would have hit me with the surprise you had going for you." ...namely taunting his opponent.  
  
Not that it was necessary. Mousse was already steamed enough as it was and didn't waste any words. He simply leapt to the attack.  
  
Ranma pouted as he dodged another volley of chains. Fighting them was no fun if they didn't scream their head off while doing so. "Fine, if fighting is what you want, that's what you get."  
  
The next moment a fist slammed into Mousse's face out of nowhere.  
  
It wasn't the last one either...  
  
**********************  
  
Cologne regarded Mousse with an amused expression. The Chinese boy was currently wrapped up in his chains and dangling from the branch of tree, where he tried without any success to free himself. He was a sorry sight indeed.  
  
The blind fighter stopped his futile attempts when he noticed her. A sneer came to his face instantly. "So, are you here to gloat over my loss? Or are you here to fulfil your threat?"  
  
"I did not come here to gloat over your loss. I have expected it after all. And even though I know you are no real threat to son-in-law I can no longer tolerate your actions. Son-in-law and his brother do not need any distractions right now, so I will remove one."  
  
Mousse glared at her, something that's hard to do through bottle glasses. "Oh? What will you do? Kill me?"  
  
Cologne sighed. "It hurts to know you think me capable of doing that. While I certainly would under some circumstances, this is not one of them. Instead I will do something you will hopefully thank me for later on."  
  
Mousse's eyes widened as she produced a bottle of Shampoo from her sleeves. "You can't!"  
  
Cologne smirked. "I can...and I will!"  
  
The last thing Mousse saw before Cologne knocked him out to stop his struggling was the number 121 on the bottle.(1)  
  
**********************  
  
Shinji walked homewards from his latest date with indecision raging inside his mind. The date had been nice. They had laughed, they had danced, they had eaten, they had kissed and yet...something was very different. After his date with Kaori he had decided to take out Pepper and Spice as well and to make sure he treated everyone the same way they had done exactly the same thing. They had gone straight to the 'Dancerico' to eat a pleasant dinner. Needless to say eating dinner with two girls at once had gotten him a few raised eyebrows.  
  
Afterwards they had hit the dance floor, where Shinji had shown Pepper and Spice how the Japanese danced. They had grown tired of dancing very fast, saying it was far too slow sometimes and so they had left the establishment only 2 hours later, once again receiving several odd looks.  
  
From there on they had insisted to go back to Nerima per rooftops. Needless to say Shinji hadn't been happy about that at all. He had only managed to jump high enough to get on a two story building a few days ago and was not eager to fall in between two roofs. Of course, the twins had managed to convince him otherwise and he had landed on the ground painfully at least four times.  
  
With Shinji slowing them down it had taken quite some time to get back and so they didn't do anything else afterwards. Their good night kiss consisted only of a short peck.  
  
All things considered Shinji had fun, but this was not much of a romantic date. Maybe, just maybe, someone was trying to tell him that Pepper and Spice were better friends than spouses.  
  
A car drove by, splashing him with the murky water from a nearby puddle.  
  
A now female Shinji wrung out her shirt and sighed. 'Hopefully big bro had more luck with his date.'  
  
**********************  
  
At the same time  
  
In Kasumi's room Ranma sat with his mouth hanging wide open. Unlike Shinji he wasn't indecisive, he was simply baffled and it was not because Kasumi was standing naked in front of him...even though some perverts would have liked that. No, the reason for Ranma's current bafflement was of another nature: When Kasumi had told him they would do something special for their date tonight he had thought a lot of things, but not that Kasumi would try to solve the fiancée mess.  
  
She had just told him of the law allowing for an Amazon to take a co-wife and had also told him that she would be willing go with that solution because she did not see another way to solve the engagement mess.  
  
Currently Kasumi was patiently waiting for him to wrap his mind around the concept like the angel she was. "Ranma-kun, are you all right?" Of course, even angels can get worried when their intended husband to be is staring ahead like a statue.  
  
Kasumi's inquiry returned Ranma's coherent thought and the pigtailed martial artist gave her an incredulous look. "Kasumi...that's a very daring idea... I mean, we don't even know if we...lo...love each other, bringing Shampoo into the equation is......"  
  
"A very good thing, if you ask me Ranma-kun. I have known about this law for over three months now and have pondered its merits long enough. Right now it is the only way to make sure we can unite the schools like honor demands without destroying Shampoo's honor in the process and I feel ready to use it. Even though we are rivals for you I have gotten along very well with Shampoo and would be more than willing to be her co-wife."  
  
Ranma was still looking a little doubtful. "But is that really what you want?"  
  
Kasumi sighed. "Of course I would rather marry you alone, but you of all people should know that life is not always going the way you want it to. Besides, I'd rather share the man I love with one of my best friends than to play mother for my family until I'm old and grey."  
  
Finally Ranma relented. "All right, if you don't have a problem with it, I don't have one either. I lo...like both of you enough to try this."  
  
Kasumi gave him a stern look. "That doesn't mean you'll get to have both of us in the sack at once."  
  
Ranma looked at Kasumi in confusion, until his brain finally processed what she had told him...and he promptly pulled a Ryouga by fainting.  
  
Kasumi looked down at her unconscious fiancée and giggled. 'Ranma-kun really can't take a joke.'  
  
*********************  
  
Once again at the same time  
  
The first thing he became aware of when waking was not the hard earth he was laying on or the smell of fresh air. No, the first thing he became aware of was of internal origins. He couldn't quite grasp what it was, but he just knew that the old ghoul had done something unpleasant to him. What was she talking about again? That he would never love Shampoo again?  
  
Nearly blind eyes opened wide as realization flooded his brain.  
  
He recalled every single image of the woman he loved, all of them still as crystal clear as ever and yet the most important thing was missing: emotion. He remembered her rich purple tresses, her graceful movements, her face down to the last line and all he felt was an objective appreciation of her beauty.  
  
No unconditional love or psychotic possessiveness.  
  
He tried to recall everything she had ever done or said to him.  
  
Nothing...  
  
He tried to feel betrayed by the matriarch of his tribe for robbing him of his love and yet all his objective mind could feel was thankfulness. Finally he could once again live his life for himself and not for a fool's dream.  
  
And so, laying on the cold hard earth of a small park in Nerima, a young man named Mousse made a fresh start by letting go of something he had never had: A young woman named Shampoo. (2)  
  
**********************  
  
Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo were seemingly playing shogi, even though it was almost midnight. Everyone else had long since gone to bed, leaving the two men alone to discuss undisturbed.  
  
After taking one of Soun's stones, for once without cheating, Genma decided to start the conversation they were both awake for. "We have waited well over six months now for our children to get to know each other, old friend. "  
  
Soun nodded seriously. "That we have, Saotome and I would say these six months have brought Ranma and Kasumi close together."  
  
"True, and that is why I would advise to wait for these two to make the final decision. That way their bond will be so much stronger."  
  
"You do have a point there. Our interference will probably only hinder their relationship. We shall not speak to them about the engagement again."  
  
Genma gave a court nod. "It is settled then."  
  
Inside her room Nabiki had problems not to let her jaw drop after listening in on their little conversation over the micro she had hidden in the living room. 'Wow...looks like these two actually learned something about subtlety'  
  
It was right about then that Soun couldn't hold it in anymore. "MY BABY GIRL WILL REALLY MARRY YOUR SON, WAAAAAAHHH!!!!!"  
  
Nabiki ripped off her headset to save her ears only to note that Soun's excessive use of wail #575(I'm so happy I could wake the whole house) was heard even through her door. 'So much for subtlety, daddy'  
  
**********************  
  
As the bell rang to signal a new customer even though she had long since closed own Ukyo frowned. "We're currently closed. Please come back again tomorrow."  
  
"I'm afraid that won't be possible Ucchan."  
  
Ukyo's head snapped up to see Ranma standing in the door. "Oh...it's you."  
  
Ranma flinched from her cold tone "Hey...uhm...I need to talk with you about something important Ucchan."  
  
The cross dressing girl's glare only intensified. "Why don't you start with an apology?" Only incomprehension greeted her request and she had to restrain herself from bashing his head in before explaining, "An apology for not showing your face all the time you jerk! You haven't even visited once this month! So, what gives you the idea I would talk to you now?"  
  
Ranma executed another Saotome special technique and used the first thing that came to mind as an excuse. "Hey, I woulda visited more often, but I had a lot o' training to do, you know?"  
  
Ukyo folded her arms over her chest. "Don't give me that shit Ranchan. Ryouga is training almost as hard as you and he is visiting almost every day."  
  
Ranma's shoulders slumped slightly. "That's what I wanted to talk with you about. I mean, how am I doing as your fiancé?"  
  
Ukyo shrugged. "Up until now, you suck...big time."  
  
Ranma winced. He hadn't expected a positive answer, but that was pretty harsh. Nonetheless it would make this far easier. "Thought so. Now, don't get me wrong Ucchan, even if we got to know each other on a very sour note this time around I still like you as a friend...it's just that whole fiancée business is bothering me. That's why I came to ask if maybe we could cancel our engagement officially?"  
  
Ukyo shrugged. "Sure thing, not like I want to be engaged to a jackass anyhow."  
  
Ranma frowned. "You can lay off with the insults now Ucchan, I got the message, Ok?"  
  
Ukyo returned to cleaning the grill, seemingly dismissing him, only to glance up a few moments later. "Anything else?"  
  
"Actually, yeah. You know about how we want to get my brother's robot back?"  
  
Ukyo chuckled dryly. "How could I forget? He's probably the only person in Nerima who could beat you for sheer weirdness."  
  
Ranma rubbed his neck nervously. "Yeah, well, I came to ask what you think about it...I mean, do you plan on helping out?" Ukyo tilted her head, thinking for a moment. "Well, I don't know your brother all that well and I don't see why I should get involved in this." A predatory smile suddenly crossed her face, "But beating on some military nuts will probably be fun, so you can count me in."  
  
"Well, then you should close down your place for two weeks, Ucchan."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm talking about the training trip we're taking. Cologne organized it and everybody comes along, save for the Tendos of course. "  
  
Ukyo looked confused. "So? And who says I'm going with you?"  
  
"Cologne, if you want to help getting Unit 01 back that is. She says she wants all of us at our peak before going in there to make sure we don't get ourselves killed."  
  
Ukyo shook her head resolutely. "I'm still not going. If I close down my restaurant for two weeks all of my customers will be gone for good!"  
  
Now it was Ranma's turn to look determined. "Ok, if that's what you want. Just remember that you won't be going with us then."  
  
"And who is going to stop me, Ranchan?"  
  
Ranma stepped forward and leaned over the counter, invading Ukyo's personal space. His eyes had grown very concerned. "If it means keeping you outta trouble I'll stop you myself. Cologne has hammered it into my thick head for three months now that this is gonna be dangerous and I believe her. As I said, you've got two choices: train and come with us or keep out of this."  
  
"If that's the way you want it, I'll close the restaurant."  
  
"You will?" asked a slightly perplexed Ranma. He had hoped to keep his childhood friend out of this whole affair by making this ultimatum. It seemed his plan had backfired, as usual.  
  
"Yeah, I will. Someone has to keep you out of trouble after all" 'and Ryouga as well'  
  
Ranma gave her a warm smile nonetheless. "Thanks Ucchan. We'll leave tomorrow at eight so be there. I'll be going now."  
  
Ukyo didn't even acknowledge his leaving, already thinking about what she needed to pack.  
  
End Chapter 12  
  
**********************  
  
(1) Wait and see, then you'll realize why I'm using another number then  
in the anime.  
(2) Don't think I hate Mousse. I actually like him a lot. If he isn't  
swooning over Shampoo he is actually the most level-headed person in  
Ranma ½. That's why I removed that factor: He would be a better and  
happier person if he actually concentrated on things he has a chance in  
hell of getting.  
  
Author's notes:  
  
After this chapter has mostly shown interaction with the fiancées to clear up the relationship mess, I can finally come to the last 3 chapters of this story arc, meaning Shinji, Ranma and co. get to kick some butt!  
  
This part has been preread by kuarcao and NuStrike as well. And now for a little Omake:  
  
************************  
  
OMAKE  
  
A knock on the door draws the author's attention and Nodoka Saotome steps in.  
  
Nodoka gives me a death glare. "I did not have a scene."  
  
The author looks annoyed. "So?"  
  
Nodoka draws her sword and slices up the computer the author is working on. "You will write an additional scene for me, is that clear?"  
  
The author's eyebrow starts twitching. "I'm starting to get sick of this."  
  
"Write my scene!"  
  
A snap is heard and we find the chair the author is sitting in is missing one of its steel armrests. An unholy aura of bloody red bathes the room in red. "You want me to write your bloody scene? THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP AND STOP DESTROYING MY EQUIPMENT SO I CAN WORK! WHY CAN'T YOU DIMWITS ACCEPT THAT ITS HARD TO FIT ALL OF YOU IN THERE?!"  
  
Nodoka looks totally terrified and about to bolt from the room, only to stop when a loud rumbling is heard and the roof is ripped away by a giant purple hand moments later. Unit 01 face appears in the newly made hole looking pretty pissed off. "ROOOAR ROOAWR ROOORAAWR"(translation: Who are you calling dimwit you puny human)  
  
"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU BITCH! DO YOU KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE THE FUCKING ROOF WAS? FUCKING GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HOUSE OR I'M GONNA FUCKING RIP YOU APART!"  
  
The EVA flinches and promptly disappears from sight as the author picks up his chair and hurls it upwards with enough velocity to dent the EVA's armor. Only a dust cloud remained were Nodoka had once stood.  
  
Outside EVA 01 is seemingly trembling while crouching on the street while rocking back and forth. Shinji is standing next to its foot and patting it soothingly. "Don't be scared mom, I'm sure he was only joking."  
  
His only answer was a rumbling sob from the overgrown parent.  
  
End OMAKE  
  
******************  
  
You know, I always wanted to tell off an EVA. *g* 


	16. SS13 Last Minute Training

Chapter 13 – Last Minute Training

Pain was all Ranma was really aware of; pain and the grass he was currently laying on. A groan from his right side informed him that the same held probably true for Shinji as well. Normally he would have asked, but at the moment talking was too taxing. Instead Ranma asked himself the hundredth time why he could not keep his mouth shut once in a while.

It was only the first day of the training trip and the moment they had reached a clearing, ideal for camping and sparring, Cologne had started in on them: One hour later everything had been prepared to train the two Saotome-brothers and Ryouga in the secret Amazon Technique of the breaking point. When Cologne had first outlined the training Ranma had pointed out that it was crazy. Of course, after Cologne told him that Shampoo had already finished the training and within only 4 days no less, Ranma's pride had reared its ugly head and he quickly agreed to training, insisting that he could do it in two.

Needless to say he regretted that decision immensely now.

What had followed were five hours of smashing into boulders with short rest periods in between to get their bearings back and Ranma and Shinji were not any closer to mastering the technique, according to Cologne.

That she had dismissed Ryuoga an hour earlier, stating that he was well on his way to mastering the technique had also stung Ranma's pride.

"Get up you two. Time for the next try." Cologne informed them from the branch she was standing on with a tone that betrayed how much she was enjoying this.

'I hate my life' thought both Saotomes at the same time as they dragged their beaten and bruised bodies up into standing positions to continue training.

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Meanwhile not too far away several other people were also rethinking their decision to go along with the training trip. Even though Cologne said only Shinji, Ryouga, Ranma and Shampoo would come along Pepper, Spice, Ukyo and Kaori had also tagged along. All of them determined to improve their skill on this trip.

They had however, not expected to be playing 'catch the bullet', as Happosai had called it and while neither of them had ever played it, the impressive amount of guns, rifles and ammo crates Happosai had somehow produced were more than clue enough..

Of course, it was not really a game, but Happosai could be one sick bastard when he wanted, and right now was one of those moments. After dropping a last crate onto the pile he jumped down and gave all of them a bright smile. "Okay girls, seems like we're ready to go."

"I hope you don't plan to shoot at us so we learn how to dodge bullets, old freak!" said Ukyo, stating what everyone thought.

Happosai gave the girl a hurt look. "Now, that's not a nice thing to think about anyone. How can you think I would ever want to se either of you beauties hurt in crazy training like that?" he asked, and promptly snuggled into Ukyo's bosom to proof his point.

The moment the chef had drawn her spatula, the diminutive man had already jumped away, once again totally serious. "You do realize you deserved that?" he asked her calmly.

It was enough to derail Ukyo's anger. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm saying you can consider this your punishment for asking dumb questions. Do you truly think I would be dumb enough to shoot at you so you can learn dodging? Not even Genma would try something like that. While you will learn to dodge bullets from this exercise, you will also be alive afterwards."

"How do we do that, pervert man?" Shampoo asked impatiently.

"That's simple. I'll shoot a bullet in such a way that it will miss you and your task is to catch it with your weapons. We will begin with slow moving bullets and work our way up to the top."

Needless to say that was enough to drive all the girls slack jawed.

"AND THAT IS ANY LESS CRAZY?!!!!!" They all screamed at once.

"Posh, posh." said Happosai, waving them off, "Ranma has done the same training when he was twelve, so you shouldn't have any trouble with it."

That shut the girls up.

Now assured of their cooperation Happosai quickly drew the first weapon from the pile, a M1911A1 pistol, which was in a surprisingly good condition, considering the weapon had to be well over 40 years old. "Ukyou, we'll start with you. Take up a guarding stance over there." He said while pointing at a spot that was maybe 90 feet away.

The chef grumbled, but complied nonetheless. "I really don't know why I am doing this." She said to herself.

"Okay, before we start one last tip: Don't try to follow the bullet with your eyes. While it may be possible with this little darling here, because the bullet will only move with about 270 meters per second, you won't have any luck with the higher calibres. Focus your attention on me instead. Try to guess where the bullet will go by judging the angle in which I am holding the gun." The old pervert told them in total seriousness, while simultaneously donning an ear protector that looked suspiciously like it was made out of panties.

Ukyo shook her head in disbelief. 'There's no way this will work. I really need to brain Ranma's father for making him go through training like this when he was twelve.'

Further thoughts on how to best make Genma suffer were driven from her mind when Happosai sent the first bullet her way and Ukyo suddenly found herself busy trying to hit bullets, all the while trying not to wince from the crack that echoed every time the pistol was fired.

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Back in the woods Shinji and Ranma jerked their heads in the direction of the clearing in surprise when the first shot echoed over them, even though they were swinging on a rope in midair.

Surprise turned to horror when they realized why they had been swinging in midair.

SPLAT

That day Ranma and Shinji learned something very important:

Impacting a boulder is very painful

Impacting a boulder without being prepared was very very very painful.

When several more shots followed the first one it was enough to rouse both Saotome's, who looked at Cologne in alarm. "Someone's shootin' up there, we have ta check it out!" said Ranma.

"Don't worry son-in-law. That's only Happosai. He is trying to teach your fiancée's how to dodge bullets."

"Oh." Ranma intoned with understanding, "the old 'catch the bullet' game."

"That's right. Normally I would insist the two of you undergo it as well, even though Ranma has already done so, but Happosai says you won't need it once you learn the Senken-techniques from Genma. I just hope he is right."

Hanging from his rope in midair, Shinji could only stare at Ranma and Cologne in horror, while the cracking sounds of gunshots kept rolling over them like thunder. "You people are insane!"

Ranma looked at him strangely. "…Says the guy who is willingly slamming into a boulder to learn how to blow said boulder up."

Not finding a comeback to that Shinji's horror grew. 'Oh my god! Not only am I turning into some insane martial artist; Ranma just beat me in an argument!!'

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When Shinji dragged his tired body back to the camp after nightfall all he wanted to do was sleep, a notion that Ranma seconded. Cologne had not relented in her tortu…ahem, training until dinner time.

At that point both of them had already been dead to the world and hadn't really tasted anything the girls had cooked up.

Instead of letting them rest, Genma had quickly dragged them off to start training in the Senken-techniques. This evening he had only demonstrated the techniques, reducing several trees to splinters in the process and scaring them shitless by appearing out of thin air.

All in all even Ranma had to admit it was very impressive.

Being forced to memorize both scrolls before going to bed, sucked big time, though and Shinji had a feeling the real training, which would start tomorrow would be even worse.

Once back in the camp Shinji was surprised that most of the girls were still up and about

The moment they spied Shinji and Ranma, Shampoo seemingly teleported onto Ranma's arm.

"Aiya, Airen sleep in tent with me?

Ranma, too tired to care, let himself be dragged of to Shampoo's tent.

Shinji, felt decidedly small under the steely gazes Kaorie, Pepper and Spice were giving him.

"So, whom will you sleep with tonight?" All of them asked in sync, all three of them conveying through their eyes that choosing one of the others girls was a bad idea.

Shinji could feel a bead of sweat slowly making it's way down his back as his eyes darted all over the place for a way out. 'God, thank you for this small mercy!' he crowed as he spotted Ryouga crawling into his tent.

"Ryouga! Wait, I'll be sleeping with you!" he shouted and quickly dove into the no-longer-lost-boy's tent, zipping the tent closed while flying through the entrance.

Pepper, Kaori and Spice were left standing in the camp, staring at each other. "This is all your fault!"

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Ranma quickly rid himself of his clothes, leaving only his boxers on and slipped into the sleeping bag, intent on getting some shuteye. It barely registered on his senses when Shampoo slipped into the tent, followed by some rustling of clothes.

When she closed the zipper to the tent, Ranma was only a few breaths away from sleep.

The moment Shampoo slipped into the sleeping bag behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest and draping one of her legs over his, all vestiges of sleep were gone from his mind.

The girl didn't do anything else, though, and Ranma stopped his protests to get some much needed sleep instead.

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Two hours later found the Saotome heir still wide awake, a blissful Shampoo slumbering in his arms. As tired as he was, it seemed his body was intent on informing him that Shampoo was a very healthy, very naked girl that was sleeping in close quarters with him. To that end part of him had quickly became as hard as Shampoo's breasts, which were pressing into his side, were soft.

That was a reaction Ranma was familiar with and it had only taken a few minutes until his body calmed down again…that was when Shampoo started rubbing her thigh over certain parts of his anatomy.

'God, I hate you.' Shampoo moved again, her leg dragging upwards 'I really do'.

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Meanwhile Shinji glared at the sleeping form of Ryouga, whose arm was currently resting in Shinji's face. With calmness he did not feel, Shinji removed the offending appendage from his face for the twentieth time that night. "I'm gonna kick you, when you do that again" he informed the sleeping boy while lying back down again.

5 minutes later arm met face with a meaty thump

'OKAY! THAT'S IT! YOU ASKED FOR IT HIBIKI!' Shinji ranted in his mind, his patience finally worn thin. Several kicks later Shinji was left with an aching right foot and a still sleeping Ryouga 'What the hell is he made of? How the hell can he sleep through this?'

Seeing how he was not getting any answers Shinji laid down again, hoping to get some sleep finally.

thump

'God, I hate you." Shinji thought, not bothering to remove Ryouga's arm.' I really do'

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On the fifth day of training in the breaking point, only Shinji was left. Ryouga and Ranma having both finished the training on the third day. It was a very frustrating experience for him.

While he knew objectively that Ranma and Ryouga were a world away from him in terms of skill, it still rankled him to waste up precious time slamming into a boulder instead of training in the Senken-techniques, which seemed far more useful than the Breaking point to him.

"Okay, ready for another go, Shinji?" asked Cologne from her perch next to the huge boulder that was slowly starting conforming to Shinji's body from all the times he had slammed into it.

In answer Shinji merely gave a grunt, fearing that he would lose several unkind words in Cologne's direction if he spoke because of the anger and frustration that was coursing through him. These emotions had been building since the day before, when Shinji had been able to see the ki-lines crisscrossing over the boulder for the first time. Ever since then the had only grown because of his inability to sent a simple ki pulse into one of the breaking points, which Shinji could see almost without concentrating by now.

All that anger and frustration was enough to do what mere concentration had been unable to do: Shinji Saotome released a pulse of ki from his body the first time in his life, when his finger touched the boulder this time around.

Anger and frustration are not emotions that help your control, though, which meant that the 'ki pulse', was more like a 'ki bomb'. The breaking point, on the other hand, was based on the fact that a small dose of ki applied at a specific point will disrupt the ki flow in an object, effectively breaking it apart, the result of which was usually a contained explosion.

The amount poured forth by Shinji was a whole lot bigger than this, though, and raced along the ki-lines running through the stone, overloading the whole structure, instead of simply disrupting it.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

The resulting explosion reduced the boulder to fine dust and blew Shinji back into the tree he was tied to with enough force to crack it.

Standing on her branch, white hair sticking out straight, Cologne looked at Shinji's now unconscious form. "Well, that was new."

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After the first week of training was over Happosai was happily firing away with two unmodified M-16 assault rifles at Pepper and Spice with short bursts. The two girls had traded their swords for a pair of axes each and were swinging frantically to catch every bullet that was sent their way.

Next to him Genma was busy doing the same with Ukyou and Shampoo, who were using Spatula and Bonbori respectively to stop the hail of bullets.

How it was possible for a man of Happosai's size to fire both weapons one-handed without seemingly any problems, while Genma was clearly struggling, was just one of many mysteries that would never be solved. Or at least that is what Shinji thought as he watched the old man, as he quickly slapped in new magazines after the old ones were emptied. The youngest Saotome was currently by his lonesome because Cologne had taken Ryuoga, Ranma and Genme on a trip to the city to fetch 'training tools'.

"Ok, ladies. That's it for now. We can move on to the next part of your training."

All the girls cheered at that. "Finally; I thought this was never going to end." said Ukyou.

"What will we be doing now?" Kaori asked, having a feeling that things would not get better from there on out.

"Now…we will play 'dodge the bullet'." Happosai answered, like that explained everything.

Several people hit the earth face first.

"Why is it that no one ever trusts me with something?" Happosai asked in frustration.

"That may have something to do with the fact that you are untrustworthy most of the time and a big pervert on top of it." Cologne informed him dryly, while hopping up to the group with Ranma and Ryouga in tow. The latter two were carrying a huge crate between them that was 2 by 2 by 2 meters.

"That hurt!" The mock serious tone Happosai used told everyone it didn't.

Cologne ignored him and ordered Ranma and Ryouga to drop the crate instead. Once it was settled on the ground she quickly opened it with a flick of her staff. "Now, let's try this again: Happy's name for the game you will 'play' is not entirely accurate: You will be dodging rubber bullets, instead of real ones, and in here we have complete protective gear for each one of you, so there is no chance of accidentally blowing out an eye or something equally unpleasant."

"Oh, that is different. When we begin?" Shampoo asked eagerly, as she bounded over to the crate to fish out her gear, the twins following suit.

Ukyou and Kaori looked at each other for a moment, before their shoulders slumped in defeat and they took their own gear out.

"What about us, elder? Shouldn't we be training like that as well?"

"While training like this would be useful, it is more important that you master the Senken for the moment, Shinji. Ryouga will be joining the training, though. Now get back to practising, you've been slacking of the last few hours."

Shinji gave her a baleful look in response before vanishing in the tree line, while muttering something about 'old mummies and slave drivers' and Ranma followed suit.

"Elder, I don't see any rubber bullets in here. Where are they?" Kaori wanted to know, making doubly sure that what would be shot at her was really rubber.

In answer to her question Genma finally came into view, carrying a large crate on his back.

He was breathing heavily and looked ready to drop dead.

In spite of that (or maybe because of that), Cologne quickly jumped over to him and landed on top of the crate. " Hurry up Saotome-san, surely you're not this out of shape."

Crash

Of course, after getting buried beneath the crate because he was unable to support Cologne's additional weight, Genma choose not to answer.

Quickly jumping down from the crate Cologne flicked it open as well, getting out several packs of rubber bullets. "Here they are ladies. Now suit up and get ready."

No one needed to be told twice and soon everyone was busy making sure the protection gear was covering up everything. With everyone else occupied Cologne asked a question that had been o her mind since Happosai told her to get the equipment. While Happosai surely had made a lot of money after 300 years living like he did (by stealing cough cough), getting high tech military protection gear and half a ton of rubber bullets wasn't easily done.

"If you don't mind my asking, Happy, how did you get all this ordered anyhow?"

"I have gotten these items through great personal sacrifice, my dear Cologne."

"How so?"

"Well, you see, a dear friend of mine agreed to get me everything I needed in exchange for some of my most prized silky darlings." He said righteously, although his voice start taking on a sad quality. "You see; I had to give him the red little number Shampoo liked wearing while doing deliveries, that wonderful lace bra Kaori wanted to use to seduce Shinji, the matching panties…sniff… Pepper and Spice had reserved for that same occasion and …sniff…those wonderfully innocent undies from our darling Ukyou here…sniffle."

Happosai stopped sniffling when he realized that it had gotten awfully hot all of a sudden.

Looking up he found all the girls bearing down on him, auras blazing.

"…Momma…"

"YOU PERVERT!"

BASHCRACKSPLAT…

Watching the spectacle form the sidelines Cologne sighed resignedly. "That he had coming….although I wonder who would agree to a deal like this…"

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Somewhere else, Ataru Moroboshi sneezed violently while being in the middle of rubbing his face all over one of his newly acquired… items.(1)

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3 days later Shinji was once again staring at the ceiling of the tent he shared with Ryuoga , wide awake even though it was past midnight.

thump

His view of the ceiling now blocked by Ryouga's wandering arm Shinji merely sighed, now more or less used to the lost boy's sleeping pattern. 'Maybe I should go outside for a bit, I don't think I'll go to sleep anytime soon'.

Quietly slipping out of the tent Shinji decided to take a short walk to the small river that was running through the woods nearby. Navigating was easy, because the moon was almost full and the trees were standing far enough apart to let the moonlight through, so Shinji had no problem with walking while his mind was busy wondering why he was still awake.

Of course, the easiest explanation would be that he was not tired because the training had not been too hard the last three days. That thought quickly led him to wonder why that could be.

Ranma was always tired when they made it back to camp each day and he was not training any longer than Shinji himself.

Furrowing his brow in thought and brushing aside another branch absently Shinji mentally went over his training the past few days. After shwoing them the Senken-techniques his adoptive father had not trained them any further, merely giving them the scrolls to work through and telling Ranma to take care of Shinji's training schedule. On the first day Ranma told him to practice his jumping abilities in the woods while keeping as silent and unobtrusive as possible.

And while Shinji could admit that it was good training, because he still had a lot of problems judging how much force he needed to make a specific jump he did not understand how that would help him master the Senken. True, the Umi-Senken was about being sneaky, but from what he had understood all the techniques were still used in combat one way or another and Shinji had not spared with anyone these last three days.

Further musings were put on hold for a moment when Shinji broke through the tree-line and the small river that was winding through the meadow came into view. The moonlight reflecting of the flowing water captured his attention for a moment and he could not help but smile slightly.

"I should probably stop thinking so much and enjoy myself a little more."

"Very true"

"GAAH" Shinji whirled around, coming face to wrinkled face with Happosai, who was dangling from a branch behind Shinji. "Don't do that!"

In response Happosai merely smirked at him. "But annoying you is always so much fun, lad."

Instead of rising to the bait Shinji merely shrugged. "What are you doing out here anyway Happosai?"

The ancient lecher merely pointed above him.

When Shinji looked up he was greeted with a Bag that was clearly filled to the bursting point, half a bra hanging out from the side. 'I should have known' Shinji thought to himself and groaned. "Why the hell are you such a big pervert anyway?"

"I'm not here to talk about ancient history " Happosai waved the question off. "I'm here because you obviously have something on your mind"

Shinji considered the diminutive grandmaster for a moment. While the both of them saw never eye to eye, he could readily admit that the pervert was a very good martial artist. And even though Shinji did not fully understand what was bothering him, he was pretty sure it had martial arts in it somewhere, just like everything else he had done over the past months.

"This may take a while…master" he said, almost stumbling over the title but realizing that it was appropriate given the situation.

Happosai, feeling the serious turn of the conversation, dropped from his upside-down position in the tree and sat down on the river-bank, lightening his pipe. "Go ahead son, I finished my business for the night anyway."

Shinji settled himself next to the grandmaster in a cross-legged position, listening to the river while he tried to sort out his thoughts. He realized that the Senken themselves were not the issue, they merely made him realize there actually was an issue.

"I guess I really need to start with my combat-training at NERV." Shinji said at length, as he proceeded to tell his Grandmaster everything he had learned about fighting, his body and himself over the last year.

He did not notice the satisfied grin Happosai sported, when he started his tale.

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20 minutes later Shinji finally finished with his thoughts on the current training. More specifically wondering why Cologne had not trained him any more after he blew his first boulder to dust, and why his training in the supposedly powerful Senken was so low key.

Happosai contemplated what he had been told for a moment; finally taking his pipe out of his mouth he regarded Shinji intently. "So, what exactly is your problem, Shinji?"

"I had hoped you could tell me." Shinji said and chuckled.

Instead of answering Happosai took a long drag from his pipe, seemingly without a care in the world. "How high can Ranma jump?"

"Maybe 30 feet I think" Shinji said, wondering what Ranma had to do with anything

"And you?"

"Uhm...Half of that, if I really try?"

"Mmmh…how about your speed? How fast are you in comparison?"

Shinji frowned "The same, half as fast as Ranma."

"I see, and how long have you been really training martial arts?"

"Well, counting the time at NERV maybe 18 months, without it maybe a year…."

"And how long has Ranma been practicing the art?"

"His whole…." Shinji did not finish that sentence, his mind immediately catching the discrepancy. "How is that possible? I know Ranma is picking up new moves faster then me and he trained a lot longer. Is he holding back?"

Happosai barked a laugh "C'mon lad, use that pea-brain of yours a little, Ranma isn't holding anything back"

Not even acknowledging the insult Happosai had thrown his way Shinji immediately tried to find the missing piece. 'Ok, the perv made me compare my speed and my strength with Ranma, what else is important?'

Of course, when asking himself like that Shinji found the answer embarrassingly obvious: The groundwork for every battle was the number of different techniques you knew. Quickly going over a typical sparring session between Ranma and his father it didn't take Shinji long to find that he knew barely 2 out of 10 moves the Saotomes used on a regular basis.

Thinking it over again Shinji nodded decisively.

"I think the problem is I have too much power and not enough skill. That's why the training isn't so hard at the moment. My mind is playing catch up with my body!"

"Well well, it seems that brain of yours isn't totally useless," Happosai noted, somehow managing to sound like he was praising Shinji despite his words "and while I could let you figure the rest out for yourself as well, I don't have that much patience"

"Fact is, before you met Ranma, that farce you called training simply was not enough. To shape someone into a real martial artist the training needs to be tough, because your body will use his chi only in the direst of circumstances…" At that Shinji could not help but think back to the time Genma threw him into a lake even though he could not swim and Happosai smirked knowingly.

"Once these circumstances are met, your body will have an easier time accessing your chi the next time. Over time your body will use it almost constantly, even without danger. What you must understand is that this unconscious use of chi is enough to fuel a technique like the Kachu Tenchin Ameriguken, or powering your high jumps, but it is useless when trying to master the Senken or the Bakusai Tenkutsu."

Happosai paused a moment, letting all that sink in, before finally coming to the crux of the matter. "That is why Cologne and Ranma aren't training you in these techniques. You have the power, but you are only using it subconsciously, and even then you are still lacking. Before you can think about mastering these things, your skill in the art must increase to a point where you can actually use and sense ki at will."

"I guess that makes sense. So it will probably take me another 8 years before I can think about really using these techniques." Shinji mumbled to himself, a small glimmer of respect for Happosai developing because of their enlightening conversation. Maybe he had misjudged the grandmaster by thinking him nothing but a pervert.

"We'll see" Happosai stated, a strange glint in his eyes. "But you're probably right…with my help even someone with minimal talent can make it." That glimmer now reached bonfire-proportions "That reminds me, I think it is time for you to thank uncle Happy for his help"

Before Shinji could even ask what the ancient martial artist was talking about, he was already landing in the river with a loud splash.

"SWEETO!!!!"

As Shinji punted the pervert, which was busy cuddling her newly grown chest, into orbit, the recently born glimmer of respect for said pervert was reduced to ashes faster than a squirrel walking behind a jet-engine during start-up.

'Definitely a pervert, nothing more' she thought darkly as she headed back to the camp.

Once she got there, Shinji quickly stripped out of her wet clothes, only putting on some new boxers before quietly slipping into the tent next to Ryouga's sleeping from and falling asleep, the nagging sensation at the back of her mind gone for the moment.

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Being without a sense of direction almost all of his life, waking up inside a tent was so normal to Ryouga Hibiki that hard ground felt like a king size bed to him. As such he always spent a few minutes simply lying awake before finally facing the day.

Even the fact that he had shared a tent with Shinji Saotome for the last 10 days did nothing to interrupt that routine. That morning was no different in that regard.

.Or it should have been no different, anyway….

Instead Ryuoga was wide awake, lying on his side with sweat running down his head in small rivulets while staring at his left hand. Said hand was currently resting, quite comfortably, on top of a generous bodily protrusion that anyone else would have called a breast. Attached to that breast was none other then Shinji Saotome, currently naked and female, safe for some boxers.

Fortunately Shinji was still asleep.

Unfortunately Ryouga's thought pattern looked something like 'OH MY GOD… I'm touching a breast…OH MY F GOD I'm touching SHINJI's breast….GONNA DIE GONNA DIE…', which made simply removing his offending appendage impossible.

Then Shinji took a deep breath and stretched, her breast shifting underneath Ryouga's hand.

Something poked the middle of his hand lightly all of a sudden and Ryouga, felt his heart-rate triple when he realized what had just happened. 'OH MY GOD that's her Ni-Ni-Ni..'

"You know Ryouga, you could have asked if you wanted to touch them" Shinji-chan said, her eyes boring into him, her tone as dry as the Sahara.

Ryuoga's eyes widened for a moment, before he zipped out of the tent, without opening the flap, and kept running away in a straight line. "WAAAAAAAAAAAH, DON'T KILL ME!!I'M SORRY!! I'M SORRY!!"

Shinji, already looking out of tent, cracked a smile at Ryuoga's antics.

That smile turned to full blown laughter when the lost boy reached the tree line and kept on going…right through the trees that got in his way.

Nearly a minute later Shinji had calmed down enough to think clearly again, her stomach hurting something fierce from her laughing. 'Man, Ryouga is crazy.'

"What you laughing about Shrimp? What happened?"

"That's what I would like to know. Care to explain Shinji-kun?"

About then Shinji finally realized that Shampoo and Kaori were standing over her, probably awakened from the ruckus Ryouga had made. "Oh nothing much. I just woke up with Ryouga fondling my breasts. You should have seen his face." At that point Shinji once again chuckled "The guy looked ready to piss he pants, he was so scared."

"Well, he should be scared after that shouldn't he?" Ukyo, who had also joined in the middle of his short explanation, asked seriously. "Touching a girl like that without permission."

That caused Shinji to start laughing again. "Sorry Ukyo snort but Ryuoga is the last person who would do something like that willingly. He was totally mortified anyway, no reason to punish him for an accident."

The three girls looked at each other, a little perplexed. While it was true that Ryouga was too shy to think about willingly touching a girl there, Shinji's chipper mood that morning was still a little suprising.

The youngest Saotome had been surrounded by a dark brooding aura the last few days which was simply gone now. Knowing that Shinji being in such a positive mood was something rare it was not the time and place to ask him what had happened.

Instead Shampoo kneeled down before the boy-turned-girl and leered at her still unclad body.

"You probably right Shrimp. Even if not true, Ryouga can be excused, because you have such a hot body".

Doing a very good impression of Ryouga Shinji turned red, squeaked and vanished inside her tent, somehow managing to close the flap even though the zipper was ruined.

Outside the three older girls grinned at each other, although Ukyo's grin did not last very long.

"Shinji-kun learned to tease other guys, but teasing him is as simple as ever." Kaori said brightly.

"True. He is very cute that way" Shampoo agreed and went to make breakfast, the little incident already forgotten.

When Kaori followed after the Amazon a moment later Ukyo was left standing in front of Shinji's tent, rubbing her temples. "Am I the only one finding it strange that a guy wearing a girl's body just used that body to tease the hell out of another guy, only to get all shy himself when he gets tease by another girl?"

After several moments of simply standing there she sighed and trudged after the others.

'This is wrong on so many levels.'

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Inside her tent Shinji had exactly the same thought. While she did realize that Ryouga had groped her unintentionally, her body's reaction to the stimulation was genuine.

Needless to say it gave Shinji the creeps. He was not gay dammit!

'I'll never get used to this.' Shinji thought while getting dressed. Once she was finished she tried to put it out of her mind. Worrying about it would not help the matter and she had some training to do. Knowing what she did now, slacking off was the last thing she would do.

'Still, the first guy who touches me like that on purpose will spend a few weeks in hospital. Happosai does enough groping to last me a lifetime anyway.'

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Somewhere else Fate made a little tweak and smiled. This would make for some excellent entertainment.

End chapter 13

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(1) You don't want to know. Heck, I don't want to know!

Author's notes:

Almost two years since I posted the last chapter. Frankly, I don't know if I can write with any kind of quality anymore. Hopefully my writing didn't suffer too much because of my laziness.

Now I could go on about all the difficulties I had over the last two years and that it is in no way my fault I didn't write anything, but…that would be a lie.

I simply did not feel like writing, and so I did not.

In that regard I must thank all the people that needled me to write some more after such a long time. Without you guys I doubt I would have ever looked at my unfinished works ever again, which what was got me to write this chapter after my overly long hiatus.

No pre-reader this time around though, so every typo and badly structured sentence you found was solely my fault.

Till next time (hopefully),

Mastermage


	17. SS14 Journey's End

Chapter 14 – journey's end

_To everyone,_

_I'm sorry to say goodbye in such a roundabout way, but I feel it is my only choice._

_When you are reading this I will already be on my way to EVA together with master Happosai. Please do not follow us, it will only complicate things._

_Spice, Pepper, Kaori and Nabiki,_

_I'm sorry that I did not give a relationship between us any real chance, but I have always felt that something like this would be inevitable._

_Nonetheless I had a great time with all of you and will cherish your memory all my life. May all of you find a man worthy to be called husband._

_I would like to thank the whole Tendo family for their hospitality. Without a doubt, your dojo was the only real home I ever had in my life, and it pains me to leave it behind._

_Brother,_

_Make sure to keep father in line and use your head every once in a while. I'll stop worrying so much in return. Don't keep Shampoo and Kasumi waiting too long…or as Kuno would say: You must have them both!_

_To everyone else,_

_It was fun getting trained by you all and it was fun training with you. Sometimes I'm still surprised how I managed to stay relatively sane with all your crazy schemes. I'll do my best to introduce some people from my old world to a few of your more exotic techniques. Toji, for example, would probably kill to learn chopstick-fu._

_Once again, thanks for everything and may all of you live long and fulfilling lives._

_Love,_

_Shinji Saotome_

Shinji looked at the letter in his hand one last time, making sure everything was exactly the way he wanted it. Not too sappy or corny, but not too light either. At least he could write a decent letter. Finding everything to his satisfaction he slipped the little piece of paper into an envelope and placed it on top of his neatly folded futon.

Taking in the snoring forms of his adopted brother and father, which were only barely visible in the dark guestroom, Shinji could not help but frown slightly. 'Damn your stubbornness. If you would just listen to me it wouldn't have to be like this.'

Forcing the negative thoughts back down Shinji stood up and shouldered his backpack, all in perfect silence. As he made his way to the open window, his chosen path of escape because the stairs made entirely too much noise when he used them, Shinji stepped carefully over Genma, who always slept directly in front of it.

Just as he was about to jump out into the night a strong arm wrapped itself around his right ankle. Shinji froze solid. 'I've been caught!'

"..No-chan…mmmh….Yes right there"

Shinji twitched. Genma was still asleep and was busy rubbing his cheek against Shinji's leg; obviously his dream was very ...uhm…involved 'Eeewwww'. Disgust guiding his actions Shinji quickly set about freeing himself from Genma's, being none too gentle.

"Why the hell is he still sleeping here anyway? Mother does have a house after all…almost like he's scared or something." Shinji said under his breath, accepting the fact that stealth really was not needed with Ranma and Gennma while they were sleeping. Once he was free he jumped out the window without hesitation….having his leg abused in such a disturbing manner once was more than enough for one day.

A second later he hit the ground outside silently and disappeared over the wall surrounding the property.

While he was running through the dark Nerimian streets, the moonlight bright enough so he could move at a comfortable jog, Shinji thought about his current situation.

It had all started when they got back from their training trip. By then Shinji had more or less accepted that, come hell of high water, Ranma and the other martial artists would help him get his Evangelion back; mainly because high martial artists were more stubborn than your average mule, probably a necessary trait to survive the training. It made talking them out of it an impossible task

While Shinji did not like that, he also knew that they could take care of themselves and would undoubtedly make getting his hands on his Unit a lot easier.

But then Kasumi and Nabiki dropped their bombshell upon his return to the dojo. They intended to come along!

Thinking about that episode Shinji clenched his hands tightly, a habit he rarely indulged in anymore.

After their declaration he had tried to talk them out of it. Considering they weren't even real fighters it should have been easy enough. Unfortunately for Shinji he soon found out the Tendo sisters could do stubborn with the best of them.

In the end the whole thing degenerated into a shouting match between Shinji and Nabiki and even now Shinji had to wonder why the thought of Nabiki in harms way had made him so angry. Where Kaori, Spice and Pepper not enough?

Nabiki had not said a word to him since then and even Kasumi was avoiding him to some degree. It made him sick to his stomach to leave them like this, but they were better of angry at him than dead somewhere inside a military base, thanks to a few doses of lead.

After the fight Shinji had fled the Tendo compound, only to run into Happosai on one of his panty-raids. At that moment his decision was made.

If Kasumi and Nabiki intended to tag along…well, then Shinji had to ditch everyone but the person he needed to get back to his own world. It was sneaky and despicable behaviour to leave everyone like that, but at that point Shinji thought it necessary.

Getting Happosai's cooperation took no more than being groped in various pieces of lingerie in female form, which brought him back to the present: Running towards the nearest train-station in the middle of the night to meet his grandmaster, who had assured him they could get into the military base by themselves.

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As was his routine over the last few months, the moment Genma woke up he reached out to his left, where Shinji was sleeping. Grabbing his adoptive son and throwing him out the window, all while still opening his eyes, Genma prepared to follow Shinji out a moment later, only to freeze when his mind finally made several connections:

Shinji was awfully light today

That was not Shinji sputtering in the Koi pond, but a sleeping roll

Frowning Genma turned around to give Shinji a lecture for moving from his normal sleeping place to find the room missing an occupant. Spying an envelope on Shinji's futon Genma quickly snatched it up and opened the letter within.

He stopped reading after the first few lines, his mind going into overdrive.

'Stupid boy! How could I ever think he was less trouble then Ranma?' the martial artist thought, before rudely kicking Ranma awake.

"Ouch. Goddammit pop, what was that for!?" Ranma ground out, while rubbing his abused head.

"Your brother did something stupid." Genma said, totally ignoring Ranma's protests, and held out the letter for Ranma to read. "Hurry up and get the Amazons here, I will get Ukyo."

Hearing the seriousness in Genma's voice Ranma quickly read the letter over, his eyes widening after the first few lines. "Shit. I never thought he would do somethin' like this!"

Giving his father a quick nod Ranma grabbed a shirt and some pants before quickly jumping out the window.

The moment Ranma was gone Genma set about waking up the other Tendo's before making his way to Ukyo's restaurant. Time was of essence this morning.

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Meanwhile Shinji and Happosai were disembarking their train, after travelling for a good two hours. Shinji glanced at his clock with worry, knowing that Genma would try to throw him out the window right about now.

"Which direction is…."

"Less talking, more running boy" said Happosai, cutting Shinji's question short before jumping onto the roof of the train station.

Not having quite that much power in his legs, Shinji had to take a running leap to make it to catch up with Happosai, who was already bounding away… along with the mirror Shinji needed.

Needless to say, 20 minutes of roof-hopping followed by 30 minutes running through the woods bordering the city-limits left Shinji exhausted and gulping for air.

Trying very hard not to collapse Shinji glared at Happosai. "Wouldn't it have been easier to hail a cab and ask for the way instead of randomly running into the wild?!"

Happosai bopped him over the head with his pipe. "Now now, don't be insolent boy. Do you think I got to reach my age by not checking out the terrain beforehand? I know the layout of that base better than the people working there."

"How do we get in?"

In response Happosai gave Shinji a piercing glance. "Unfortunately, there is no 'We'. I can get you in, but afterwards you will be on your own. Do you still want to do this?"

To Happosai's great satisfaction Shinji's gaze lost none of the determination it had held all morning. _The boy has a chance._

Confident that he was not about to send the youngster to his death, Happosai outlined his plan

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Being the daughter of a rich and traditional family that raised her well Kaori was not in the habit of fidgeting. The fact that her fingers were drumming on the backrest of the seat before her fast enough to blur was therefore a clear indication of her emotional state.

She was on board of the train headed for Koschidu, along with the Amazons, Ranma and Genma and her drumming was annoying the hell out of the others passengers, but she couldn't care less.

When she had first gotten engaged to Shinji Saotome she was less then enthused, but in the weeks following their engagement she had learned quickly that her promised husband was a good friend.

She had gotten used to seeing him every day, and while the few dates they had where a bit awkward, she found that the thought of not going on another one, made her heart break.

And the letter she had read left no doubt in her mind, that Shinji did not plan on going out with her ever again; with her or any of the other girls for that matter.

She did not know why he had left so suddenly, but she needed to know for sure.

If he had left because of her, she would never be able to look into the mirror ever again.

"Hey Kaori, you ok?"

She jumped slightly in her seat, finding a concerned Ranma leaning on the seat next to her.

"Yeah…" she started, but stopped short. Ranma had a lot of his brother's good qualities; there was no reason to lie. "No….I'm wondering why he left me. Thinking about it makes me sick."

Ranma grasped her shoulder gently, giving it a light squeeze. "I don't know either, but I know without a shadow of doubt, that he had liked you, all of you. You're not the reason he left."

Ranme, clearly uncomfortable with such a situation straightend up and pumped a fist into the air. "The only thing I know is that I'll kick Happosai's ass for dragging Shinji up there on his own!"

Kaori could not help but smile faintly, her spirits lifted considerably.

_Now we only have to get to him before he does something stupid, so I can tell him that I don't intend to leave him alone…ever!_

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Akira Ishagi yawned for what must have been the tenth time in as many minutes as he leaned against the hard concrete of the wall behind him.

"I swear, next time you come up with such a harebrained prank I'll kill you, Anno."

Anno Hikeedi chuckled good-naturedly.

"What are you complaining about? I think it's nice out here and seeing Miss Karuna in the buff is worth a trip to hell!"

Akira glared at his partner, who was illuminated by the harsh artificial light streaming from the lamp protruding directly above the door the both of them were guarding.

"Speak for yourself! I mean, sure, watching that purple monstrosity all day wasn't my idea of fun, but it's ten times more interesting than standing in the middle of some god forsaken forest to guard some god forsaken maintenance tunnel. Nothing ever happens!"

In truth, Anno thought the same thing. The tunnel-entrance they were guarding was shrouded with foliage and the door they were guarding was a good 5 meters into the mountain, so it was impossible to see unless you were already standing right in front of it.

He was bored out of his mind

As such he was pleasantly surprised when his ear-piece came to life, requesting all non-essential personnel to backup the main entrance, where something seemed to be going very wrong.

Non-essential in their case meant, one had to stay as the minimal crew while the other could join the fun.

"Finally something to do!" Anno crowed, only to get a scathing look from his partner.

"I'm going. You're the one who got us here; you will be the one to stay here!"

"All right man, all right. No need to get all pissed of." Anno said, while raising his hands placating.

Akira grunted in response and turned around to enter the correct code into the pad that would open the heavy steel door. Obviously he was still plenty pissed off.

Deciding to give it one last try Anno turned around as well and patted his partners back.

"Give em hell, partner. I'll get you a beer for each kill"

_All right, that ought to do it._ Anno thought, knowing that free beer was a sure-fire way to get Akira back on his good side. As such he was pretty surprised when Akira's face registered surprise, instead of a grudging acceptance of his offer.

Following his partners line of sight right over his shoulder, the last thing he saw was a boot heading straight for his face.

While Anno Hideeki's body was still travelling down to earth, Shinji was already lunging towards the other soldier, who was bringing his rifle to bear on him. Using his speed to full effect Shinji knocked the rifle to the side with one hand, while delivering a hard blow to the man's sternum.

Akira Ishegi joined his partner on the floor approximately half a second later.

Above the soldiers Shinji blinked slightly. Taking the two of them out had been surprisingly easy. Maybe he had really….

_Get a grip. This isn't a game!_ He scolded himself angrily and quickly dragged the unconscious men inside the tunnel, the door sliding shut with a silent his after the obstacles where removed.

He apologized silently to the first man he had kicked, whose nose was obviously broken.

Then he moved quickly down the darkened corridor, trying to ignore the wires and pipelines that seemed to writhe in the minimal lighting provided. He had to hurry, for Happosai had not known when the next shift would start, and running into someone in the long and narrow corridor would be the end. _I hope the geezer is ok._

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Said Geezer was currently having a blast. While he was a pervert, he was never one for unneeded violence, as such even in his fights against Ranma he usually had to hold back a lot.

No one would mourn the passing of a few tanks and barracks though, which meant he was cutting loose.

He was jumping around the main entrance, which was surrounded by fully functional over ground base with tanks, houses, walls and even a few helicopters to play with.

Pulling out Happo-daikarins faster than most automatic weapons were firing bullets, he peppered the buildings with smaller bombs to keep the soldiers out of his way while throwing the biggest he had at the machinery.

_What are the tanks build of today? _He wondered when the first one vanished in a fiery explosion that couldn't have been from his bomb alone. _Are their engineers really this bad?_

WHIZ

Barely avoiding a bullet, Happosai brought his thoughts back to the task at hand.

WHIZ

The military could not see him, considering the speed he was currently going at, but it seemed peppering the whole camp with bullets was an accepted practice here.

WHIZWHIZ

Cursing his luck Happosai dived into the next building, knocking the inhabitants out with a few well placed bombs.

He had not expected this.

Buying time for Shinji had gotten a whole lot harder just now, because his opposition seemed prepared to hit each other in the hopes of nailing an unseen enemy.

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Shinji hurried through yet another steel grey corridor that looked just like the rest. After leaving the Service tunnel he had soon found out that these guys were even worse when it came to layout than NERV. All corridors looked the same, and unlike NERV, the military did not bother to hang maps and floor-layouts onto the walls.

"…..Wonder what all this ruckus is about?"

Hearing the voice and its companion getting louder Shinji panicked for a moment. He was standing right in the middle of a long stretch of corridor, the next intersection a good 10 meters behind him and no convenient door in sight.

Then he remembered that he actually stood a chance in a fight now and he had an idea.

The next moment he rushed towards the intersection in front of him, hoping to catch whoever would cross his path in close quarters.

_Left or right? _His mind feverishly asked, but it was impossible to make out where his newest friends would come from.

_RIGHT! _His instinct told him, and he listened, changing course to bounce of the opposite wall. Even while he was still travelling through the air his eyes aligned on his opponents.

_A man and a woman, no weapons but uniform__s. Not soldiers, but with the military._

The analytical part of his mind thought, while he was crossing the last meters of distance to them.

The man tried to say something, but lost his voice when Shinji barrelled into him full force.

Quickly catching the rest of his monument by stomping hard onto the ground Shinji let the man fall the rest of the way on his own and twisted around to stand behind the woman. Smothering the scream in her throat with a hand on her mouth he used the other to twist her arm backwards.

A few seconds everything was silent...he did not know whether he was waiting for her to calm down, or for himself.

"Don't worry, your companion is okay, I only knocked him out. If you do what I want, no one will be hurt." He told her, forcing his voice to stay level with every shred of his will, knowing full well that he wouldn't hurt her even if she did not do what he wanted. The trick was to make her believe otherwise.

Slowly he removed his hand from her mouth, but kept a firm grip on her arm.

"Now, show me the way to the giant robot."

His temporary prisoner stiffened slightly. "Will you let me go if I tell you the way?" She asked in return, her voice trembling.

Shinji's compassionate side tried to come to the surface, but he pushed it down forcefully. There was no doubt in his mind, that the woman he was holding fast, would forever think of him as the worst of human beings after all this was over. But that was a small price to pay, if it meant he could get back home. With that thought in mind he spoke again, a cold edge in his voice. "I don't trust you to tell me the truth. You will guide me. Scream for help, you will die. Mislead me, you will die. Understood?"

From the way she trembled, it was obvious she had.

"We have to take the right way up ahead" she said in a whisper, while pointing at the intersection she had been heading towards.

Shinji merely grunted and shoved her forward lightly.

Finally he was getting somewhere.

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Happosai waited with baited breath inside the ruined building. Sooner or later he had to go out again to cause even more havoc, otherwise they would call the added personal back into the underground-base, which would increase Shinji's chances of discovery immensely.

It had already been 5 minutes since he had jumped in here, but there was not a soul in sight...the fires he had helped to create were burning unhindered. Something was fishy here.

A tingle at the base of his neck was all the warning he got.

Then the wall to his right was blown inwards, toppling several bunks that were standing too close.

A split second later the building was utterly annihilated as several grenades, rockets and countless bullets found their mark.

But Happosai was long gone, a prodigious leap saving him from the worst of it.

Still…._Whoever is in charge isn't worried about collateral damage; Crazy son of a bitch!_

Moments later he was raining down bombs once again, determined to buy Shinji another few minutes.

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They had been walking in silence for a good ten minutes now, without meeting a soul.

She was walking barefoot now, her captor telling her in no uncertain terms that her shoes made too much noise.

The rustling of her uniform and her laboured breath were the only sounds around…he was silent as a ghost.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore. She needed to talk, no matter about what!

"You won't make it." She told him nervously. "I can get you to the cage, but all the entrances are guarded by a minimum of 4 people. There is no other way to get in."

"I will deal with that problem when we are there."

His voice was calm and confident. She wondered what a man that could be so self assured would look like, but did not try to glance backwards. He had twisted her arm badly the last time she had tried.

Another eternity of silent walking later, which was probably just a few minutes, they where at the last bend before the checkpoint. Voices reached her ears.

"Damn, that was one fine lady I tell ya!"

"Stop posturing man, we all know you got burned."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. _Typical men_

All of a sudden she felt her captors' hot breath on her right ear. "Is the cage directly behind these doors?" He asked her in a whisper.

She nodded once, not trusting herself to speak without being heard.

"Good." He breathed, making her shudder. "I'll let you go now. I want you to stay here until I am finished with them. Do as I say and I promise no one will come to harm.."

Then the iron grip on her arm finally vanished, and she entertained the notion of running for the checkpoint. She resisted though, because he did not sound like she had a chance to make it. Instead she turned around to get a good look at him and her eyes widened.

_A teenager?? What is going on?!_

He read the question in her eyes and put a finger on her lips, to keep her silent.

"You wouldn't understand. I'm merely getting back what is mine. Thanks for guiding me and sorry for the trouble."

He walked out into plain sight of security while she stood still gaping like a fish.

"YO kid. What are you doing here?" She heard one of the men ask

"I'm sorry, my father took me along to visit the base today, but suddenly he had to leave. Do you know where the cafeteria is? He told me to wait there for him, and I think I lost my way."

The tone and manner in which he asked the question left her stumped._ He sounds so…so real_

"Not here. That's for sure. Come on over kid, I'll show you."

The sound of footsteps.

"Ok, look. We're here. You have to…urks"

"What the hell?!!"

She covered her ears when the first shot was fired, but the following bursts still made her ears ring. Then, there was silence.

Gathering what little courage she had left, she peeked around the corner. The security checkpoints where housed in very wide corridors. There was a cell on each side, made of bullet proof glass, which normally housed one guard. Both compartments could be entered through a small opening on the side. Another two stood right in the middle of the way normally. This way it was impossible to overwhelm all four guards without taking a few hits, because at least two of them where well protected and had time to react.

She took in the scene.

All four guards were down. Blood was running down on the inside of the left cell.

The teenager was leaning on the wall, breathing heavily. No doubt the angry red that was staining his white shirt right above his left elbow had something to do with that.

Suddenly his head snapped up, and he looked right at her with a gaze that froze her to the core, but his look softened instantly. "Look after him please." He said with real remorse in his voice, while gesturing to the guard that was laying half outside and half inside the right cell "I had to shoot him. There was not enough time to aim properly, make sure he survives."

Then he started walking into the cage that housed the robot.

"Who are you??" She asked, not knowing what she wanted to hear, but knowing that she had to ask.

He stopped for a moment, and looked at her over his shoulder, giving her a bittersweet smile.

"I'm its pilot."

He spoke the truth; she realized and found herself smiling all of a sudden. "Good luck"

His smile turned from bittersweet to thankful, like her opinion actually mattered to him.

As he turned around once again, breaking into a light jog before the hatch that led to the cage closed off her view, she realized one important fact:

The timid schoolboy that had asked the guards for the way was real, not the cold man that led her through the base in silence.

And it was good.

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Happosai sped through the forest, using the last dredges of his chi to get much needed distance between the military base and his person. After they had blown his hiding place to pieces staying alive while still doing damage had eaten up even his incredible reserves at a rapid pace.

Now, he could only hope that his distraction had been enough

Then he felt several familiar auras in the distance and grimaced. He was tired, dirty and he had not liberated any silky darlings today and he would have liked nothing more than to get as far way from the Nerimians as possible, but he had made a deal with Shinji, and even though he was a pervert and a general nuisance, Happosai was not in the habit of breaking his word.

Nonetheless, when adjusting his course slightly to intercept the small group of people that was headed to Shinji's position he could not help but grimace _No rest for the wicked it seems_

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When Ranma caught sight of Happosai, he charged him without thought; Cologne's warning to be cautious forgotten in his anger.

"This is the last straw, geezer. I'm gonna pound ya into PASTE!" he screamed, while levelling a kick at the grandmaster of his style.

Something flashed before his eyes and the next moment his body locked up. He landed on the ground painfully with his head taking the brunt of the impact. _What the? The old geezer ain't that fast normally!_

A wooden pipe was jabbed into his unprotected back. "I'm tired, boy. Cut the crap and listen."

Ranma grit his teeth, willing his body to move, but whatever Happosai had done seemed very effective. Not being able to pound the old man into paste he did the next best thing: he used his mouth. " Shut up, geezer. The only one who should cut the crap is you! Where the hell is Shinji? What where you thinking dragging him here alone??" the pigtailed boy said heatedly.

By now the others had also reached their position. A lot of glaring ensued, but no one tried to attack him.

"You have no reason to blame me for this mess." Happosai said finally. "I merely did what Shinji asked me to do."

"You could have declined!" Spice sounded ready to gut him.

"Yeah" "You got it, sugar" and various other exclamations followed. Only Cologne stayed silent.

In response Happosai snorted in disgust.

"The bunch of you didn't learn a single thing since meeting the lad."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ranma asked, still prone on the ground. "We wanted to help him get his EVA back. Whats got learnin to do with anythin?"

"Any takers?" Happosai asked dryly, waiting for one of the various youths to make the connection.

By now the Amazons, Kaori had calmed down somewhat, mainly because seeing Happosai in anything approaching a serious mood was a big shock, but they could only looked at each other confusedly.

"They are too blinded by their need to help Shinji to see your point, Happi. " Cologne said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Shampoo looked at her wide eyed. "You are saying pervert is right?."

Cologne nodded slightly. "I am. While it is admirably, that you want to help one of your friends with all your might, you must understand, that nothing in life is straight forward.

By disregarding his wish to go alone, you have all taken a very important decision away from Shinji. No doubt that has hurt him, because from his perspective it would seem like you do not take his feelings into account."

"But it's insane for him to go alone!"

"Insane or not." Happosai interjected. "It was his decision to make, not yours or anyone else's. Nonetheless he was content to acquiesce to you all, because he knew you could take care of yourselves. When Nabiki and Kasumi Tendo asked to come along, it was no longer a matter of keeping everyone happy by doing as they said; it was a matter of keeping them safe."

"In the end, you were all ignoring his wishes, you were ignoring him. Protecting someone is not the same as being there for someone, remember that well, children. Otherwise you will be just as alone as Shinji is right now."

Happosai allowed a sad smile to disfigure his wrinkled face, when an overwhelming amount of magical power rolled over them. _He may be alone, but he has the will of a hundred. _ He thought with a touch of pride, knowing that only one thing could have caused such an overwhelming discharge: the mirror.

From the way her eyes widened slightly, Happosai had no doubt that Cologne had also felt it.

"There is nothing to be done now." She said with a firm voice. "He is gone. Remember him well and keep the lessons you learned through him close to your hearts children. That will be enough."

No one was sure what she meant, but there was no doubt in their minds, that the youngest Saotome was now out their reach. A sombre mood sank over the group, and not even Ranma made a comment as Happosai lifted the pressure point so he could get up.

Yet, in the deeper parts of his mind, Ranma Saotome was already dead set on showing his adopted brother that he was, in fact, not alone.

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Shinji was running along the gangway, his goal in front of him. He did not doubt for a moment that his entering the cage was noticed. There was precious little time before more guards would try to stop him.

Ignoring the pain from his left shin and his arm was hard, but not impossible. Neither wound was very serious, but he would bleed to death if this did not work. Keeping that in mind, he gave the Evangelion only a cursory inspection.

Parts of the armor had been removed, revealing the artificial flesh underneath. Walkways were encircling the behemoth from all sides, one of them conveniently leading to the hatch that shielded the entry plug from the outside.

Assured that he could get up there, Shinji charged along full speed.

Questions such as "What are you doing here?" from various technicians were answered by shoving them out of the way

"ARGH, Son of a bitch; someone call security, this guy is crazy!" one of them screamed after spraining his hand in the fall.

_You bet I am _Shinji thought while quickly climbing the stairs to the Entry plug. _Almost there_

bang

Shinji flinched when a shot ricocheted of the armor. "Shit!" he cursed, seeing a squad of for guards standing a good 60 feet away, with guns drawn.

"You idiots. Don't shot from down here! If you hit the opening mechanism we may never get it open!"

Whoever said that seemed to have some authority, because the guards did as told and started following after him. Shinji could not help but snicker, despite the situation. _Thanks, whoever the hell you are._

Another five steps brought Shinji before the code-pad, his fingers hammering in the 40 characters needed to open the door. The armoured hatch opened with a satisfying hiss, and a moment later the entry-plug appeared, winding its way out of the EVA's spine.

"He opened it!!?" he heard the disbelieving mechanic that had ordered the guards to stop shooting, shout. "Shoot him!!"

Thinking that catching 2 bullets with his body was enough for the day, Shinji unscrewed the second hatch to the entry plug with both arms, biting his lip when his bullet wound told him in no uncertain terms that it did not appreciate the sudden movement.

_Come on, Come on. _He thought feverishly with every revolution the hatch made.

pling

The first bullet hit when the hatch finally sprang open and he jumped in with a single leap, hitting his knee in the process and feeling another bullet bury itself in his tigh.

The pain was enough to turn his landing into a graceless stumble, earning him another bump on the head. Shinji clenched his teeth, willing the blackness that was hovering at the edge of his consciousness away.

He was only half successful, but he found enough strength to seal the plug and start the mechanism that would screw the plug back into its host.

Listening to the familiar whirring associated with the plug moving back into position he took a deep breath.

Gingerly pulling the mirror out of the pouch he had carried it in, Shinji thanked every deity he knew that it was still in one piece. Now there was only one thing left to do. Gripping the control yokes tightly with his free hand, Shinji forced himself to realize his current situation.

_Here I am. Alone, wounded and feeling miserable because I had to hurt people once again and my only hope is a dumb mirror that I'm not even sure if it works. I'm just as pathetic as before._

The tears came surprisingly easy...maybe it was the pain?

The first tear left his check, and started its short journey to the mirrors' surface.

_One thing is different though _Shinji thought, a smile tugging at his lips. _This time I have a goal!_

Then, the world went white.

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Fin

Author's notes:

I realize the tone and pace in this chapter is decidedly different to previous parts, but it was time to bring the whole Nerima arc to an end. While writing this story was fun for the most part, I will end SS on this note.

I know most of you wanted to see all the chaos Shinji and co would cause in the Evaverse, but after all this time the Eva-setting does not inspire any ideas in me, so I will stop it here.

If somebody wants to write an "Evaverse-Ark" for SS , you can contact me per PM or E-Mail with a small sample of your writing. I don't expect much, but I refuse to give my blessings to continue this story if he doesn't even have a grasp of basic sentence structure 

For those who care : Currently I'm writing a new story for Claymore which is currently half finished. That means I'm not entirely done as a writer, but it will take another 3 or 4 months before I start posting, because I do not want a repeat of SS, where my readers had to wait a year between chapters at the end.


End file.
